The Most
by LemonStar
Summary: ..Daryl/Beth.. AU S4 prison. Beth looked back to him and she was smiling again and he didn't know her well enough to know if it was an actual smile or a fake one. And for some reason, not knowing that bothered him even though he had no idea why it would. He had other things – bigger things – to worry about than whether or not Beth Greene's smile was genuine.
1. Prologue

**A new story that I have been kicking around in my head for a while. This is just a short prologue to start things off and each chapter after this will be told from both Daryl and Beth's POV as well as a couple more character's occasionally thrown in. I'm a bit nervous to write this because I don't think writing the zombie stories are my strongest suit but I hope you all like this first chapter.**

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 **Chapter One.** Prologue.

He stood near his bike, finishing up his breakfast, the bowl cupped in his hand and using his index and middle fingers to scoop the oatmeal up to his mouth. His eyes were sharp as he watched the fences, seeing the buildup of walkers that had developed overnight. They had to do something about that and sooner rather than later. The fences weren't going to hold forever but everyone who lived here was looking to him to make sure that they did.

His eyes trailed across the yard to see Rick bending down in the dirt of his crops, pulling weeds, Carl beside him, helping. He could ask Rick for help; tell him that he needed help with the fences to keep Carl and Judith and the rest of their family safe and Rick would probably look at him for a moment, tempted to refuse, but then he would sigh and nod and offer to help in any way that he could.

But Daryl didn't want to force him into it. Rick was taking time away from everything and Daryl understood that. His friend had been through too much shit and he needed a break. He deserved a break and Daryl wanted to be able to handle this without him.

His eyes went back towards the fences. He just had no idea how to handle it.

From the corner of his vision, he saw someone approaching him and he instantly turned his head towards the figure. It was Beth with Lil' Asskicker in her arms as the baby always was. Closest thing that baby had to a mother was Beth. Rick was there but he was distant and sometimes, there was Carl, too, but he was getting to be where he hated everything and wanted to be around kids his own age because no one else understood him. He didn't exactly have a lot of options though. Patrick was dead. Zach was dead. There were a few of the younger kids but Daryl figured Beth was probably closer to his age than anyone else in the prison. Carl never seemed to think of that though. No one really did. Daryl hated to admit it to himself but most people seemed to forget about Beth most of the time.

They had never talked much. There had been when Zach had died and Daryl had come to her cell that night to tell her. They had exchanged a few words – more words than they ever had – and then she had given him a hug that had made him jump. After that, sometimes their eyes would meet and he would give the slight head nod towards her and she would give him a small smile in return but other than that, things went back to how they had always been. She never talked to him and he never talked to her.

Daryl had no reason to talk to Beth. She was just that girl who had been part of their group for so long, she was part of the family. She wasn't like her old man or her older sister – both such intricate parts of the prison, Daryl didn't know if things would work without them. Beth did have an important job though no one, himself included, ever thought about it.

She took care of Judith every day and every night and some of the littlest kids, too, they had running around. And while it was definitely a job that someone had to do, no one really thought it was important when comparing it to going on runs or being on fence duty.

Beth Greene was pretty much invisible when it came to everyone else in the prison.

He found himself standing up a little straighter as she continued to approach him and his eyes never left her.

Beth gave him a smile – small and almost hesitant – as she got closer and Judith was trying to grab a hold of the braid in her hair, bringing it to her mouth.

"I heard you're going on a run," she said as she shifted Judith to rest on her other hip.

"Need somethin'?" He asked her though he figured she did because why else would she come here and ask him about it?

"Only if you can. Don't go out of your way for it," she said with a quick shake of her head.

She looked to Judith for a moment and then she settled her eyes on him once more. And it wasn't the first time he had thought it. The first time he thought it had been standing in the doorway of her cell that night, watching her stand there as she looked at him.

She had to have the biggest blue eyes on a person he had ever seen.

And he thought again how he didn't really like them resting on him. But he didn't shift or squirm. Nothing living or dead could make him uncomfortable and he sure as hell wasn't going to let himself be because of this girl. Still, weeks later and he couldn't forget the way she had come to him and hugged him as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do.

"If you happen to see one, could you pick me up a baby book?" She asked and he must have looked completely confused because she let out a soft laugh then and gave her hand a shake. "I mean, a book about babies? The development and stages and stuff like that?"

"She okay?" He asked gruffly, his eyes going to the baby, now slobbering all over her fist. When she saw Daryl looking at her, she smiled a gummy smile at him and Daryl felt his own lips twisting upwards in response. It was no secret to anyone that he had a soft spot for her.

"Oh, she's fine. She's just growing and I have no idea what to do or what to expect. And I don't want to bother anyone else here, asking," Beth then added in a voice so soft, her eyes watching Judith now, that if he had been anyone else, he wouldn't have been able to hear.

But he had heard and that made his eyes settle on her, studying her. Before he could say anything though – not that he had the first clue what to say to her – Beth looked back to him and she was smiling again and he didn't know her well enough to know if it was an actual smile or a fake one. And for some reason, not knowing that bothered him even though he had no idea why it would. He had other things – bigger things – to worry about than whether or not Beth Greene's smile was genuine.

Unless her smile could fix the fence problem, he told himself he really didn't care.

He looked at her and gave his head a single nod. "I'll take a look 'round. See if I find anythin'," he said and this time, the smile that widened across her face, he knew that this was a true smile. He found himself looking at it and wanting to remember it.

"Thank you, Daryl," Beth said. "The prison library is definitely lacking in reading material."

"Hmmmm," he replied from the back of his throat and looked down to his bowl, not wanting to admit to himself that he didn't want to look into her eyes anymore. He scooped the last bit of oatmeal up and brought it to his mouth, sucking it from his fingers.

"I can take that back to the kitchen for you," she offered.

"Thanks," he mumbled and didn't look at her again as he held the bowl out for her to take and his eyes floated back towards the fence, watching the walkers and some of their people on fence duty. It didn't matter though. No matter how many walkers they stabbed through the chain link, there was always another one, eager to take its place, snarling and growling, their rotted hands reaching out, trying to get a hold of all of them.

"Thank you, Daryl," he heard her say again, her voice softer now. "Be careful," she then added and he looked back to her but she had already turned and began walking back towards the prison.

He couldn't help but watch the way her blonde ponytail swished back and forth and he could hear her gentle, slightly cooing, voice as she spoke to Judith but he couldn't decipher the words as she walked further away.

He exhaled a heavy breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Something about that whole exchange had made his stomach tumble; as if he wasn't in charge anymore and he didn't understand it because he sure as hell never felt like that around people. He was always in charge; charge of this whole damn place and everyone in it.

He still thought about that hug sometimes. The way her small body had been pressed against his, her arms around his waist and her cheek on his chest, as comfortable as if she had hugged him a dozen times before then; as if they had even _touched_ one another before then. Instincts had screamed at him to push her away. He didn't like to be touched by anyone and he sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone hug him. Carol was the only one who did touch him and who he didn't really care when she did but it wasn't as if he wanted it or even really liked it. It was just the kind of relationship he and Carol had between them. Couldn't really explain it.

So when Beth had hugged him, he had raised his hand to her arm, ready to push her away.

"I'm glad I didn't say goodbye," she then spoke and he could feel her cheek moving against his chest and he froze. "I hate goodbyes."

Daryl stood there and heard her words and felt the warmth coming from her body to his. She then moved her cheek slightly, almost like she was a cat rubbing herself against his shirt, and he felt his arm sliding down her arm to cup her elbow through her sweater. Light and unsure but he then felt Beth squeeze her arms ever so slightly around his waist – as if she could sense his uncertainty and she was letting him know that he was doing alright.

"Me, too," he had murmured back, his chin in her hair, rubbing against the top of her head.

He had never realized before how much smaller than him she was. She was delicate. Fragile. She pulled back then, looking up at him with those big blue eyes and she had moved the sweater back up that had slipped from her shoulder and he remembered, after the farm had been run over, the winter they all spent together, running around in circles before finding this place. He knew she wasn't fragile. She had killed her fair share of walkers but everyone forgot that. Everyone forgot that she had made it just like them. But there was just something about her that made them all think they had to protect her.

He watched her now, stopping in the courtyard when two of the little kids ran up to her, and began talking in excited voices, practically bouncing on their toes as their eager words overlapped the other's, and Beth stood there, smiling down at them and laughing gently.

The run group was just heading to a strip of stores that day and he doubted any of them would have what she asked for but Daryl found himself wanting to go out of his way to find it for her. She was eighteen – maybe even nineteen by now (who the hell knew time anymore?) – and she was the mother hen to a bunch of little kids that weren't hers.

Daryl took back his earlier thoughts. That was just as important of a job as any of the others. Probably even more so because while everyone else fought to keep this home of theirs safe, Beth was there with Judith and the other little kids, serving as a reminder to all of them as to why they fought so damn hard to keep their home safe in the first place.

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 **Thank you very much for reading and please review!**


	2. Touch

**Thank you so, so much for the reviews, favorites and alerts on the first chapter. I hope you like this one just as much. I am already planning the next chapter and I think it's going to be from a POV other than Daryl and Beth.**

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 **Chapter Two.** Touch.

Cloth diapers were just easier. They had found a box of Pampers in the beginning but after that, using cloth diapers and just being able to wash them and reuse them was ideal and far easier than having to go on runs every few days for more of the disposable kind. Beth could not wait until Judith was old enough to begin potty training. She really hoped Daryl was able to find a book so she could read and learn and know when the ideal age was to begin to teach her that. But if he wasn't able to get it, she knew she would have to forgo her stubbornness and ask one of the women in the prison who have had babies before.

Beth knew she could ask a number of people and they would be more than happy to tell her but something inside of her always stopped her before she could. She had one job in this prison and that was to take care of Judith and if she asked others, it would just further show everyone that she couldn't do it. She knew most of them already looked at her as if she was useless and she didn't want to give them anymore proof of that.

Judith sat on a spread out blanket on the concrete floor of the laundry room, playing with her usual pile of red plastic cups, giggling as she smashed them together, and Beth kept one eye on her as she scrubbed the cloth diapers up and down the washboard into the steel tub. She hummed to herself as she worked and listened as Judith giggled and babbled to herself in words only the baby could still understand but Beth liked to pretend she knew exactly what Judith was saying. She wondered when Judith would actually begin to speak. Beth knew it would be up to her to teach her that as well.

It wasn't that Rick was a bad father. Not at all. He loved both of his children deeply and Beth knew that. But Judith was something to him that constantly broke Rick's heart again and again. A constant reminder of everything and everyone who had been lost in this new world and most days, it simply hurt Rick too much to be around her too often.

So everything regarding Judith Grimes fell to Beth. And she didn't mind. She loved the baby girl as much as if she had birthed her herself. She had always wanted a child of her own and she knew that this was probably the only chance she would ever have to fulfill that dream. She never hated that caring for Judith was her job. She was never angry or frustrated that she couldn't go out on runs or be on guard duty or even patrol the fences like most everyone else.

Rick had told her once. "We can't have anything happen to you."

And she had given him a small smile and nodded and she knew that it was because if anything did happen to her, who would have time to watch Judith?

Finishing scrubbing the cloth, she wrung it out and added it to the pile in the basket. She would take them out and hang them on the laundry line to dry once she was finished with this last one. She grabbed the final cloth and dunked it in the soapy water before bringing it up the washboard. She hated the washboard. It sometimes rubbed her knuckles raw and her hands ached and she had such respect for women now in the past before washing machines were invented. Beth supposed she was just like them now, too. They had no choice to use the washboard. The old prison washing machines took too much water and too much power and they had to conserve things like that.

Because of how long and strenuous the task was, almost everyone in the prison was in charge of their own laundry. Beth was in charge of her own and Judith's as well as a few of the orphan children's, and sometimes, Rick and Carl's. She knew Daryl also didn't wash his own clothes but it wasn't because he was lazy or was one of those men who thought doing the laundry was women's work. Daryl didn't wash his clothes because he simply didn't think about it. Daryl had no problem wearing the same shirt and jeans for days in a row and bathing really wasn't high on his list either until Carol threatened to strip him naked and shove him in the showers herself. Carol was usually the one to wash Daryl's clothes.

Beth was glad Carol was back. What she did was horrible and Beth couldn't help but frown when she thought about it but she could also see Carol's reasoning behind it. In Carol's mind, killing Karen and David the way she had, it had been the greater good; a way to keep everyone else safe from the sickness. Beth would never do something like that, herself, and she didn't agree with it but she could understand Carol's thinking.

Rick had tossed her out, exiled her from their home, and the members of their original family were the only ones to know why. Daryl had been furious, pacing like a wild animal trapped in a cage and Rick had taken his arm and tugged him away so the two could speak in private. Beth was not only glad to have Carol back because she was a part of their family and Carol had become someone Beth could sometimes confide in but she was also glad because of Daryl. She didn't understand Daryl and Carol's relationship and it wasn't any of her business but she knew the two were exceptionally close and she knew Daryl had missed her terribly when she had been gone.

It wasn't as if Daryl had confided in her and told her that. Beth nearly snorted in amusement at just the idea of Daryl telling her anything. But Beth could see it on his face even if he was able to hide it from everyone else. She had just gotten good at being able to read everyone. No one really paid attention to her so she was able to observe and learn everything about the people around her. And it was obvious to her that Daryl loved Carol.

Daryl had the most responsibility of anyone at the prison; the most jobs. Her daddy said that they all had jobs to do but Daryl must have had at least fifty. With Rick stepping down for a bit from his leadership position, Daryl had stepped up and now, everyone in the prison looked to him. She saw the responsibility of that weighing on his shoulders each night as he dragged himself up the stairs to his cell. Daryl deserved to have someone around who he cared for.

Finishing the last cloth, she tossed it into the basket with the others and then went to go collect Judith, the baby clutching one of the cups to bring with her.

"Do you want to take that with you?" Beth asked her as she went to hold the basket against her other hip.

Judith just gurgled and began gnawing on the rim of the cup. Beth really hoped Daryl would be able to find a baby book for her. She didn't even know when Judith would start teething. Did this mean she was teething right now?

Outside, she went towards the laundry line and carefully set Judith down on the grass, watching her for a moment to make sure the baby was alright before she began draping the wet clothes over the line. She began humming to herself again as she worked. She could see her daddy, Rick and Carl in the crops as always. Carol was outside the fence as Maggie stood watch. The water pump must have gotten clogged again and Carol was cleaning it. She saw Tyreese and Sasha up in towers, on watch, and most of the other able adults were down by the fences, picking off the walkers building up there. She heard laughter of children and looked to see a small group of them was standing at one of the walls, drawing with the bucket of sidewalk chalk that Daryl had brought back from a previous run.

The sun was warm and the breeze was cool and it was a beautiful spring Georgia day.

She heard the familiar roar of an engine in the distance, getting closer, and she knew it Daryl returning from the run. She was surprised he was back already. Usually, runs took all day if not _days_. Supplies was getting harder to come by and the teams had to go further out to find anything of use. She hoped the early return meant it had been a successful run.

Carl had run to open the gate for them and Daryl drove up the gravel drive on his motorcycle with Glenn and Michonne driving in the car behind him.

People began heading over to see what they got and if they could help carry anything inside but Beth remained by the laundry lines. She finished hanging the cloths and just as she turned to pick up Judith once more, she heard a sharp cry and her eyes instantly began searching for the person who was hurt. She saw one of the little kids sitting on the ground, their hands clasped around their knee, hugging it to their chest.

Beth hurried over and dropped down in front of Molly, shifting Judith to one arm. "Let me see, sweetie," she told the girl in a gentle voice.

"She tripped over her shoe laces," Lizzie explained, standing with the other children, watching what was happening with rapt attention.

"It's alright. Let me see," Beth said again and Molly whimpered, moving her hands away. Beth saw the scraped knee and the blood and dirt and she looked to Molly and smiled. "I have seen much worse. We'll get you cleaned up and you'll be back to playing in just a few minutes." She stood up and held out her hand. Molly sniffled and wiped at her tear-soaked cheeks before grasping Beth's hand and pulling herself up.

She led Molly into cellblock C and straight to her own cell. She set Judith down in her playpen Beth had pushed against the wall in the corner and then pat her bed, signaling for Molly to sit down. Molly was no longer crying and she even managed to give a small smile as she pulled herself up and sat down on the bed. Beth kept a small first-aid kit beneath her bed for whenever one of the children hurt themselves. It wasn't that stocked. Just Band-Aids, cotton balls and a small bottle of antiseptic.

"First, we'll get it clean," Beth said, taking a bottle of water and a tissue from her small desk before kneeling on the floor in front of her.

Beth cleaned the knee of blood and the small bits of gravel and Molly only whimpered once. She then took the bottle of antiseptic and one of the cotton balls and looked up to the little girl. Molly's eyes were already slightly wide with fear.

Beth gave her a smile. "It'll be alright. It will only sting for a second, I promise."

"Can you sing?" Molly asked her in a quiet voice.

Beth's smile grew. "I can definitely sing. Any requests?"

Molly just shook her head and Beth saw the little girl curl her fingers into the blankets of her bed in preparation for what was to come. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow and turning her head, she saw that Daryl had come to her cell, standing in the entryway, a bookbag in his hand. She gave him a small smile but he didn't say anything to her; just looked at her and then to Molly. Beth looked back to Molly, too, the girl staring at her with her watery brown eyes.

Beth smiled at her and began to sing. "Hey, where did we go/Days when the rains came/Down in the hollow/Playing a new game/Laughing and a-running, hey, hey/Skipping and a-jumping/In the misty morning fog with/Our, our hearts a-thumping/And you, my brown-eyed girl/You, my brown-eyed girl."

As she sang, she quickly swiped the cotton ball of antiseptic across the wound and Molly only flinched and hissed once before she relaxed again and Beth continued singing and placed a Band-Aid over it. She then gave it a kiss and Molly burst into a smile.

"As good as new," Beth smiled. "And you were very brave," she then added.

"Braver than Lizzie?" Molly asked and Beth knew that many of the little kids looked up to the older girl, Lizzie, for some reason.

"Much braver than Lizzie. Don't you think so, Daryl?" She asked, looking to the man still standing there, watching them.

Daryl seemed surprised that he was suddenly involved and he straightened a little and cleared his throat. He gave his head a single nod. "Gonna want a brave girl like you on my run team one of these days."

And the smile that burst across Molly's face was practically blinding.

She threw her arms around Beth's neck and squeezed her and then kissed her cheek before hopping off the bed and running from her cell. Beth smiled and began cleaning up, standing up once more. She smiled faintly at Daryl.

"That was just what she needed to hear," she told him.

Daryl shrugged, not looking at her anymore. Instead, his eyes had settled on Judith as the baby sat in the pen, still chewing on the red plastic cup. "Got you two some things," he said.

Beth threw the cotton ball and tissue and bandage wrapper into her small wastebasket before stepped forward and taking the bookbag he extended to her. She set it on the desk and pulled the zipper back.

"Judith, look what Daryl got you," Beth beamed as she pulled out a small stuffed elephant.

"Saw it in a car," Daryl shrugged. "Figured she could use it."

"It's perfect," Beth smiled at him as she went to the playpen and held out the elephant for Judith to take. "Elephants have always been my favorite animal. Whenever my parents took me to the zoo, I only really cared about seeing the elephants. I wanted to touch one more than anything and I knew I wanted to go to Africa some day and see them roaming. They have elephant farms there. I had always planned on going for a visit after graduating."

The baby dropped the cup and took the stuffed animal, immediately beginning to gnaw on the grey trunk. Beth laughed, watching her for a moment, and when she turned, she saw that Daryl had his eyes on her. He quickly flicked them away.

Beth went back to the desk and looked into the bookbag once more. "Daryl, thank you so much." She pulled out the book, _Everything You Need to Know About Baby Development_ , and she flipped quickly through the paperback before hugging it to her chest. She wondered where he had found exactly what she asked for. "Thank you."

Daryl shrugged as if it was no big deal and she wasn't surprised because Daryl always shrugged and act like nothing he did was that important. She wondered if he had any idea how badly they would all fall apart without him.

"Lemme know if you two need anythin' else," he said, practically mumbling the words.

Beth looked at him and wished he would look at her for more than a second. "I will."

She remembered the first time he showed up on the family farm. Rumbling in on his motorcycle with a permanent scowl on his face. She had been frightened of him. He had always been so angry and loud and always looking like he was ready to fight.

And then they lost the farm and spent months as a group, running from one place to the next, and Daryl had gotten quieter and calmer and she saw how hard he worked to always track down enough food for all of them. He made sure they were safe every night when they laid down to close their eyes. He made sure that nothing happened to them. Beth found herself feeling safe as long as Daryl was around.

They had barely ever talked to each other. She supposed they didn't really have a reason to. He was always with the others, talking plans, and she was always with Carl and Lori, making sure the woman had everything she needed though even if she did need something, Beth didn't know what she would have done to get it.

She and Daryl were part of the same family but she knew that to Daryl, she was nothing more than another mouth to feed.

She knew that that was how most of the people in this prison saw her as.

But then Zach had died and Daryl had been the one to come and tell her. She didn't know why Glenn hadn't since he had been on the run, too, but looking at Daryl as he leaned against the door of her cell, she felt something close to gratitude that it had been him coming to tell her instead of Glenn or anyone else. She wasn't in love with Zach. She was sad he was dead but so many people had already died, she felt somewhat numb to it. But she looked at Daryl and he looked so down about the whole thing – losing Zach and the failed run and having the responsibility of this whole prison. He looked drained. So Beth did the only thing she could think of doing. The one thing her mom used to do to her when she had been in a sad mood.

She had hugged him. And she had felt him flinch and tense and she braced herself for him to push her away but instead, he stood there and she felt his fingers on her elbow and the rumble of his chest as he said that he hated goodbyes, too.

They hadn't really talked with one another after that – just an occasional meeting of the eyes and she would give him a smile and he would acknowledge her with a nod but nothing more than that. She didn't entirely know why he was here now – he could have sent anyone to give her the book and stuffed animal – but again, she was glad that he was the one who came. She had never looked at Daryl in any other way than just Daryl but ever since that hug weeks earlier, she was seeing something else about him.

Daryl Dixon was handsome.

And she wanted to shake her head at herself for having that thought but she couldn't help it. He really was handsome in a way she never would have thought before. In high school, she had liked the clean-cut boys but there was absolutely nothing clean-cut about Daryl. And he wasn't a boy either. As far from it as possible. Daryl Dixon was a complete man.

"Thank you for everything, Daryl," she said, her voice sounding quieter than before.

Daryl grunted something but she couldn't decipher her words.

She told herself not to. She told herself that he would hate it and this time, he really would push her away and she told herself that she would just have her feelings be hurt even though she expected him to react like that and there was no reason to be hurt over it.

But Beth couldn't help herself. She was an affectionate person, she reminded herself as if she had forgotten that. She always had been and that hadn't changed. She just didn't have that many people to show her affection to anymore.

She stepped towards him and again, he jumped slightly as if he had expected her to hit him and she moved the book to one crook of her arm and the other arm slid around his waist. He was thin and hard and muscular and she had never hugged someone like him before. Even her brother, Shawn, had had a little leftover baby fat to him.

She squeezed her arm and she braced herself, knowing he was going to push her away any second but instead, she felt his fingers on her elbow again and he was stiff but he wasn't moving either of them away and Beth couldn't help but close her eyes and rest her head against his chest, able to hear his heart beat steadily in her ear.

It had been far too long since someone had last touched her.

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please take a moment to review!**


	3. Watchful Eyes

**Thank you so much for the reads and reviews. I can't thank you enough. Your response to this story has only gotten me even more excited to write it. This story is going to be like _Cornerstone_ and will be a bit of a slow burn. **

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 **Chapter Three.** Watchful Eyes.

When her eyes fluttered open, it took her a moment for her tired brain to realize that it was still dark. She laid there, unsure as to why she was awake or what had woken her, but then she heard quiet cries – starting to grow in volume – and Beth was quick to react. She had fallen asleep, reading the baby development book, and she pushed it off her chest now and hurriedly pulled herself from the bed.

"Shhhh, Judy, I'm here," Beth said and hoisted the baby up from the pen she slept in and as soon as she was in Beth's arms, the baby's cries began to quiet down again but she still whimpered and Beth rocked her, shushing her softly, as she went to her desk and turned on the small lamp she had there.

Dim light flooded into the small cell and Beth began pacing back and forth, trying to ease the restless baby in her arms. Sometimes, Judith slept in Rick's cell but most nights, she slept in Beth's and Beth found herself having trouble sleeping those nights she was alone.

She sometimes tried to imagine what it would be like if Lori hadn't died bringing Judith into this world. Judith would only know her as her mother since that would be exactly what Lori was. And if Lori was alive and being able to take care of Judith, Beth wondered where that would leave her. What would she be able to do? It was no secret to anyone who lived within these walls with them that she was pretty much useless. What would she do if she no longer cared for Judith?

And then she always felt absolutely horrible whenever she had those thoughts because how selfish could she be? Carl and Judith deserved their mom. Rick deserved his wife. Those things were so much more important than her having a job to do in the prison. And she, herself, had loved Lori. The woman had stepped into the mother role for her and was always quick to comfort her or offer her a kind smile and word.

Only their original family was allowed to live in Cellblock C and though they were all used to Judith waking in the middle of the night with her cries, Beth tried to hush her as quickly as she could. The others all worked so hard and needed their rest.

Taking one of the spit rags and one of the empty bottles, Beth left her cell and began heading towards the door of the cellblock. It was quiet with the sleeping sounds of her families – snores from her father and Glenn, murmurs from Carl as he dreamt. She couldn't help but look towards the second level where Daryl's cell was and saw that it was dark as she hoped that it would have been at this late hour. She was glad to see it. No one needed their rest more than Daryl.

If she felt horrible for thinking about Lori, she felt absolutely ridiculous for thinking about Daryl. It wasn't a mystery to her why she was thinking about him so much lately but she wished she was able to stop it. Having a sudden and slight crush on Daryl Dixon was just stupid – not to mention, confusing. She had been around Daryl Dixon every day for so long now and some silly crush decides to form _now_?

She didn't know why or where it came from. It was probably because she was still dealing with Zach's death and Daryl had been the one to tell her and her brain was just mixing all sorts of things up in her head. Because, to her, liking Daryl didn't make that much sense. And it wasn't as if he liked her in return. He had Carol. Someone closer to him in age and who he didn't seem to mind being around. Any time he was around Beth, she noticed, he always seemed to be looking for the quickest exit out of there.

Beth hummed quietly to Judith as she carried her into the adjoining room where her formula was stocked. She couldn't wait until Judith got her teeth and could begin learning to eat solid food like the rest of them. According to the book, Judith had already begun teething. Her gums were swollen and tender and she was gnawing on anything she could. Most of that evening had been spent chewing on the trunk of the stuffed elephant. The book had already warned parents that teething was one stage with their babies they wished they could skip altogether and Beth knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

She quickly mixed the formula and then sitting down at one of the metal tables, she adjusted Judith in her arms, sitting her in her lap and resting her back against her chest, and handed the baby her bottle. She had just learned to hold her bottle a couple of weeks ago and Beth had almost started crying, she was so proud and she was eager to show everyone Judith's new skill. At seven months old, Judith was younger than the average age of when babies could hold their old bottle – according to the book – and Beth's pride only grew. Her baby girl was so smart.

No. Not _her_ baby girl. Judith wasn't her daughter. She felt like she had to remind herself of that more and more lately. Judith wasn't her daughter. Wasn't hers in any sense of the word. She was just the baby in her family she cared for and who was her responsibility. After Judith grew older, she wouldn't need Beth any more..

Beth tried not to think about that though.

Her fingers combed through Judith's baby fine soft golden brown hair. It was never talked about in the family but when Lori was pregnant, it was wondered by all just who the father of the baby was. Rick or Shane. Rick loved her like any father loved a daughter and it seemed to not matter to him one way or another but to Beth, it was obvious Rick was her father. She had Lori's eyes but Rick's mouth and her baby had lighter hair than if her father had been Shane.

She heard someone cough in their cell but then it was quiet again. The prison was asleep except for those out in the towers on guard duty and the walkers growling on the other side of the fences and for her as Judith ate her midnight snack.

…

Daryl's eyes snapped open and at first, he wasn't sure what had pulled him from his sleep. His body was instantly alert though. He couldn't remember the last time he had fully been able to relax – even while asleep. Long before the turn probably.

But then he realized he was hearing Judith cry from Beth's cell below and then he heard Beth softly hushing Judith and a moment later, he could hear her steps carry her from the cell block. It was quiet after that and Daryl laid there, blinking up at the ceiling in the dark cell. He wondered what time it was – not that something like that really mattered anymore – but he figured he had probably gotten a handful of hours of sleep and really, that was all he needed anymore. He could sleep for four or five hours and be charged enough and now that he was awake, he laid there and knew he wouldn't be getting back to sleep again.

He sat up with a soft grunt and swung his legs over the side of the bed, planting his feet on the floor, and he dug the heels of his hands in his eyes, rubbing the last remnants of sleep out of them. He then stood up with a grunt and grabbed his crossbow, slinging the strap over his shoulder. He had fallen asleep fully dressed – including his boots – how he did every other night. He let out one lingering yawn as he headed from his cell and down the catwalk towards the stairs.

He peeked into everyone's cells as he passed, making sure they were all where they were supposed to be, silently counting their numbers to himself. He was in charge of everyone and cared about everyone to some extent but if anything happened to their home here, these people in Cellblock C with him were the ones he would fight like hell to save.

He really had to figure out that fence issue.

"But then, Sam realizes her sister has forgotten the bouquet so she goes back into the church to get it and when she comes out, the last cars of wedding guests are pulling away. And when the last one pulls away, it reveals someone there, waiting for her. And guess who it is? That's right, Juju. Jake Ryan. Leaning against his car, looking at her, waiting for her."

He heard Beth's quiet voice speak to the baby, clearly telling her the plot of _Sixteen Candles_ as if it was a bedtime story and Daryl felt himself smirking a little.

He lingered for a moment more in the shadows before stepping out into the adjoining room and startling Beth, her words cutting off and her body jumping slightly in right.

"Sorry," he mumbled, almost wincing.

This really wasn't the world where people could sneak up on anyone anymore.

Beth shook her head and smiled a little at him. "It's alright," she said in a soft voice as if she needed to talk quietly in the late hour. "I should have been paying attention."

He shrugged at that. "No reason for you to. No one here 'cept us."

"Did she wake you?" Beth asked, changing subjects.

"Nah," he lied and moved across the room to get himself a cup of water.

They were quiet for a few minutes and Daryl found himself lingering for some reason. When he had pulled himself from bed, he had just figured he'd go outside and relieve someone from one of the guard towers and take over for them but he didn't make a move towards the door. Instead, he found himself leaning against the table against the wall where they kept their dishes and some food just for them, looking at her. He didn't know why he had been doing that more lately.

Looking at her. Like there was some reason for him to be doing that. She was Beth. It wasn't as if something had happened and she had suddenly changed. She was just Beth. There was no reason for him to be standing there and watching her. There was never any reason.

But then she began talking to Judith again and now, he found his feet cemented to the ground as her soft voice reached his ears from across the room.

"Jake and Samantha sit on a table across from one another, a birthday cake glowing with candles between them. Jake thanks her for helping him clean his house and then he tells her to make a wish. Samantha looks at him and says that her wish pretty much just came true. And they look at one another and then slowly, they start to lean in and then, they share their first kiss with the birthday cake between them. The end."

Daryl found himself smirking again against the rim of the cup. "So wha's next? _Pretty in Pink_?" He asked and he could see that he had startled her again.

She looked at him for a moment and then she laughed softly. "That had never been my favorite one. Maybe _She's All That_ or one of those from the late nineties."

Daryl felt himself cringe at that and she laughed again.

"Not a fan?" She asked, almost teasing him.

He swigged the rest of the water down. "If you're gonna be tellin' her movies for story time, pick good movies. Damn, Greene," he then muttered.

Beth just laughed and he felt the back of his neck tickling at the sound. When was the last time he heard her laugh? He knew he must have before – they had all been together long enough and even though there really wasn't anything to smile or laugh about anymore, he knew Beth would find a reason to – but he couldn't remember him reacting to her laugh in quite that way before.

Judith finished with her bottle and Beth stood up, turning the baby over and beginning to pat her back. She stayed where she was and Daryl found himself relieved that she hadn't decided to close the distance between them. He was never a big talker but he found that it was easier to talk when they stood nearly a room apart.

" _10 Things I Hate About You_?" She suggested and he swore he could see her eyes twinkling.

"Better but not great," he said and her smile widened. "Do _Say Anything_ or somethin' like that. The ones from the eighties are better. Gotta teach that kid right."

"Daryl Dixon, a secret teen movie fan," Beth said and he definitely heard the teasing in her tone now. But unlike when other people made fun of him, he didn't bristle this time, getting ready for a fight. It was no secret that Beth was as harmless and innocent as they came.

He shrugged but didn't say anything. He didn't really know what to say. He felt like he had exposed too much already. It wasn't something earth shattering – her knowing that he had liked movies, any kind of movie, before the world went to shit – but he wasn't one to be forthcoming and outright about anything and why would he be to her?

Judith let out a soft burp then and Beth smiled faintly, kissing the side of her head. "Good girl," she murmured to her quietly.

Daryl wondered how she was so damn good at being that kid's mom. Wasn't like she had had any practice before this and already, she was the best mom he had ever seen besides Carol. They were lucky to have her – not just taking care of Lil' Asskicker but the other kids, too. If she didn't do it, who the hell else would?

Beth looked at him and settled her soft smile on him. He almost shifted. He didn't know if he liked that smile or not. He looked at her smiling at that and could only realize how pretty Beth Greene had suddenly become. And that only made him feel lower that a walker. Beth was too young and too innocent for him to be thinking about how pretty she was.

"You might have to help me with _Say Anything_. I only saw that one once," she said.

Daryl didn't say anything, already knowing there was no way in hell he would do that. wasn't going to be putting himself around Beth more times than he had to be. It seemed like any time they were near each other, she hugged him and she made him feel too hot when she did that and he didn't know if he liked it or not. He was pretty sure he didn't. Why would he like Beth hugging him?

"I can't thank you enough for that baby book," Beth said.

He shrugged. It had been no big deal. He had just thoroughly searched four houses on the way back to the prison before luckily finding it on a bookshelf.

He told himself he would have done that for anyone.

"I've already flipped through it and have read a couple of chapters. She's starting to teeth."

"You need anythin'?" Daryl asked before he could stop himself but then he reminded himself that this was for Judith and there wasn't anything he wouldn't get that kid.

"I have no idea if you would be able to find it but maybe a teething ring?" She asked.

Daryl had no idea what that was but he found himself nodding. "Michonne and me are goin' out again in a couple days. I'll tell 'er to help me look."

The smile that bloomed across her face then made his eyes drop down to the floor. A girl had never smiled at him like that before and he admitted, he had no idea what to do with it.

"Thank you, Daryl," she said, her soft voice trickling into his ears, and he only lifted his eyes when he began to hear her steps. Through the hair hanging in his eyes, he watched her walk back to the cell block and he was left alone.

He exhaled a deep breath and with her gone, he was finally able to leave, heading for the door that led outside. His lungs were desperate for some fresh air.

…

"Red Rover! Red Rover! Send Luke over!" The kids all gleefully exclaimed and Hershel lifted his eyes from his tomato crops to see the little boy running as fast he could, trying to break through the arms of the line of kids, all of them laughing and sounding like they were having the time of their life. Hershel smiled as he watched them all play. There was no sound better in this world than the sound of children laughing.

His eyes drifted over to his daughter as she stood near the kids, overseeing them all and laughing right along with them. Judith sat on a blanket on the ground beside her, chewing on a stuffed elephant and watching the game in front of her with her big curious eyes. Beth laughed and clapped her hands and then told the kids to call for someone else.

It was no surprise to him – or to anyone, really – that Beth was so good with the children and it was only natural that their care fell to her. She was kind and warm and she was like their own beacon of sunshine in the prison. He sometimes worried that they were putting too much on her – taking care of the children as well as a baby but Beth never complained once about it. She was a hard worker and she took her job very seriously. Hershel knew his daughter loved all of those kids as if they were her own.

The game continued and Hershel chuckled to himself before moving his eyes away, scanning the rest of the prison yard and the people working outside that morning. He noticed that more than one person was looking over to the children and their game, faint smiles across their faces as they watched. Seeing the children play and be so carefree, it almost felt like the world was normal again – if they could block out the sound of walkers growling and clawing at the fences.

Hershel's eyes drifted again and this time, they floated up to the guard tower. He recognized that it was Daryl on duty this morning but the man's eyes weren't set on the fences as they almost always were. Hershel swore that man hardly looked away from them.

Except this morning.

This morning, Daryl wasn't looking outside the prison but instead, he stood there and his eyes were focused on something inside the prison. This time, something else had his attention other than the walkers.

Hershel already knew, deep down, what he was looking at but his eyes moved anyway to follow Daryl's eyes and sure enough, they were settled right on Beth as she laughed and smiled and shone brightly and Hershel looked back to Daryl. Something seemed to happen in Daryl's mind though for the man then shook his head and straightened up before turning away, facing out once again and turning his back on the children and the game and Beth.

Hershel looked back to his daughter. Was this the first time Daryl had been watching her? Or had this happened more than once already? And if it had, just how long had Daryl been looking at Beth? Hershel wondered if this was something he had to pay attention to more.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	4. Just a Crush

…

 **Chapter Four.** Just a Crush.

"Where we headed today?" Michonne asked as she approached him as he leaned against the car, smoking a cigarette.

Daryl turned his head to see her walking to him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Figured we'd just hit up those houses we saw past the Big Spot. Prob'ly somethin' in at least one of 'em," he said and she nodded in agreement before leaning beside him. "We need to look for a teethin' ring," Daryl then said.

Michonne looked at him with a small grin, her white teeth flashing. "Getting a new tooth coming in?" She teased him.

Daryl just puffed on his cigarette. "'s for lil' Asskicker. Beth says she's starting to teeth."

Michonne didn't say anything to that but her eyes turned back towards the prison and Daryl looked, too. Beth was outside, as well, standing at one of the laundry lines hanging those cloth diapers Judith wore to dry. Daryl had always been observant – even more so now – and when it came to members of his family, he pretty much knew their schedules down pat. Even if he didn't always pay attention to her, he knew that Beth was always washing those cloths and hanging them to dry every few days.

"Maybe we find some more diapers, too," he heard himself suggest to Michonne.

"Can't wait until she starts growing out of those," Michonne commented, her eyes also settled on Beth and Judith on a nearby blanket.

Daryl would have asked Michonne when Judith would be the age to get out of diapers – he really didn't know the first thing about babies and he knew that Michonne did – but he smoked the last of his cigarette and kept quiet. He wasn't idiot and he and Michonne were close enough for him to know that there had been a baby once – her own before the world went to shit – but obviously something had happened because the baby wasn't here with her. He didn't ask her about it. It wasn't any of his business unless she made it his business and it wasn't as if she – or anyone – knew every single thing about him and he wasn't willing to open up about it. They all had their secrets and even if they were family, some of those secrets weren't anyone else's business.

He told himself not to but his eyes seemed to have a different idea and they slowly looked back towards Beth again. She was singing now and her voice floated across the prison yard to where he stood. He recognized the song as one from the eighties and it surprised him that she would sing something like that. It almost made him smile and he then watched as Beth turned away from the line and the brightest smile was across her face, the song she sang almost making her laugh. She then scooped Judith up in her arms and kept singing, bouncing the baby in her arms in tempo, Judith's delighted giggles mixing in with the song.

"If you'll be my bodyguard, I can be your long lost pal/I can call you Betty/and Betty when you call me, you can call me Al."

Beth broke out into laughter then and Judith fell heavily against her chest, burying her face to the side of Beth's throat. Beth held her tightly and kissed her head and she turned to head back into the prison but as she turned, Daryl wondered if she sensed him watching her because her head turned then and their eyes seemed to lock almost instantly.

Daryl told himself to look away – he shouldn't have even been looking in the first place – but the instant Beth placed those blue eyes of hers on him, there was no way he could look at anything right then except her. He really couldn't figure out why he had been watching her so much lately. He had gone so long to not looking at her at all. She was just one of the heads he had to count and keep safe. A member of the same family but not important enough to any of them or their survival to pay her any extra attention.

And even just a few weeks ago, he hadn't thought she was important enough but something had changed. The way she had handled Zach's death, the way she hadn't cried – and that kind of scared him though not too many things scared him anymore – and the way _she_ had comforted _him_ ; the way she had looked at him and known that he must have needed her to do that; known before even he did. And then it seemed like after that, he kept noticing her more than he ever had before and he began wondering just how close Beth had been to him this whole time and she had just sort of disappeared into the background of everything.

She was important though. More important than most people in the prison with them would ever think. She was not only in charge of Lil' Asskicker, a teenager raising a baby pretty much on her own, but she was in charge of all of the other little children, too. Their laughter could be heard every day as Beth played games with them and sometimes, held short lessons in the yard for them. Glenn had found a stack of workbooks on one run and Beth helped the kids with the math and word problems. She was eighteen years old and a mom to a dozen kids and their teacher and sure, she didn't kill walkers every day like most of them did but she was doing something just as important and Daryl found himself willing to fight someone if they said anything otherwise.

Daryl found himself swiftly swearing to himself when Beth began approaching them and he quickly sucked in the last drag of his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out with his boot.

"Hi," Beth smiled when she came to stand in front of him and Michonne.

"Hey, Beth," Michonne smiled at her. "And hey you," she then smiled at Judith and Judith kept her face pressed to Beth's neck as if she was suddenly shy.

"It's her naptime right now but I just wanted to see you before you left," Beth said and her eyes floated over to settle on Daryl.

Daryl was making a conscious effort to not look at her though. He really had been looking at her too much lately and sooner or later, someone was going to notice how his eyes were always finding her and resting on her and if they did notice and ask him about it, he had no idea how he would explain.

"Daryl told me about the teething ring," Michonne said.

Beth's eyes moved back to Michonne and the smile softened, lessened a little, but still remained on her face. "Thank you so much for looking. It's alright if you can't find one though. She's been gnawing on her stuffed elephant trunk and that seems to be working. And the book said that the teething ring should be cold and we obviously can't do that…"

"We'll bring back anything that can help," Michonne promised her.

"Thank you," Beth said again. "I should get her back and lay her down for her nap. Be careful out there," she added in a soft voice and Daryl felt her eyes on him once more. But he still wasn't looking at her and he finally sensed her walking away.

When he finally lifted his eyes again, he watched her as she walked back towards the prison, watching the swing of her ponytail, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Michonne looking at him with a raised eyebrow. But like he had done with Beth, he ignored Michonne.

They were driving out of the prison yard within the half hour, Glenn opening the gate and closing it once again behind them. Daryl drove as he usually did and Michonne was sitting in the passenger seat beside him. He could still feel her looking at him.

"Wha'?" He couldn't help but growl, glancing at her to see that she was smiling.

"Nothing," she shook her head and just looked so damn amused about something.

Daryl snorted and felt the back of his neck flush. "Yeah, right," he muttered.

"It's just adorable, that's all," Michonne said with a shrug. Daryl didn't say anything but he glanced at her again, a tension in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. He didn't know how but somehow, Michonne's smile managed to grow wider. "Daryl Dixon with a crush."

Daryl's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "I don't gotta crush on anybody," he said, growling again. He felt his body tightening even more and he felt like a rubber band stretched too far, ready to snap back at any second.

And as he said those words, he believed them. He didn't have a crush. Not on Beth or anyone else at the prison. What the hell was a crush anyway? This was the end of the world. No, it wasn't even that. The world had already ended. This shit was just the aftermath. And no one had time for a crush in the aftermath. You were either like Glenn and Maggie – so involved in one another, you didn't really care about anyone else and distracted from everything else – or you were like Rick, losing them to this aftermath and losing your mind.

Neither possibility sounded exactly appealing to Daryl.

He didn't have a crush on Beth Greene but he knew that if he did have one, it would be one of the dumber things he could do. She was too young, for starters. And she was too sweet and innocent. Somehow, in this whole aftermath shit storm, she still had that innocence to her and Daryl wasn't looking to be the one to ruin that for her.

"It's alright, you know," Michonne said in a quieter voice and when Daryl glanced to her again, he saw that all teasing had left her eyes; her smile faded. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to find a little happiness for yourself in all of this." She waved her hand ahead of them to signal the world on the other side of the car.

Daryl didn't say anything to that. He just grunted in form of a reply and kept his eyes focused on the road. Somehow, even if he _did_ have a crush on Beth Greene – which he didn't, he made sure to tell himself again – he doubted anyone else in the prison would be as accepting to it as Michonne apparently was.

But he didn't have a crush on Beth Greene so there was no reason to think about. The only thing he had to think about right now was this run and getting back to the prison alive.

…

When she returned to her cell, instead of placing Judith down in her pen, Beth laid down on the bed and laid Judith down with her, resting the baby between the wall and her body. Judith rolled her body towards Beth, seeking out her body heat and almost immediately began to drift off to sleep. Beth combed her fingers through her wispy baby fine hair and hummed a quiet lullaby through her pursed lips.

Judith usually took an hour long morning nap and after she woke again, Beth would go back to the yard and collect the diaper cloths she had left hanging on the lines. She would then go to the kitchen to help Carol with lunch preparations. She would then have story time in the library for the kids – which, unlike Carol's, was actually story time.

Each day, the children would take turns in choosing which book they would want read to them. Daryl had found a stack of books on a run – a house where the child who had once lived there being quite a bookworm – and right now, they were working through the first _Harry Potter_. The kids were so excited to finish it so they could read the whole series and Lizzie had suggested they put on a play with Beth as director. Beth loved the idea and as she read to them, the children would sometimes excitedly talk over her about which character they wanted to play. It sometimes led to disagreements and arguments – Luke wanted to play Hagrid even though he was only five and small and Lizzie told him that he couldn't play a giant – and Beth tried to extinguish those as quickly as they rose.

And then after story time, it would be time for Judith's afternoon nap and as she slept, Beth would clean the cellblock up for the family. She always kept it as tidy as she could for them. By then, hopefully Daryl and Michonne would have returned from their run and she would help sort through the things they had been able to get, and then it would be dinner time and then she would help clean up after dinner and then give Judith a bath and get her ready for bed and by the end of the day, Beth was always ready to collapse in her own bed until Judith woke her with her cries.

Beth was never going to complain about her life. Mainly because, she still had a life. She was still on this earth, alive, and she wasn't going to ever take that for granted. She just couldn't help but sometimes think of how it all would have been if this whole world ending mess hadn't happened.

She'd be in college now. Studying music. Maybe rushing a sorority. Making all sorts of friends and going to parties and being the stupid eighteen year old she was expected to be. Her mom and brother would still be alive, her daddy would still have both legs and she certainly wouldn't be the mother to seven children and a baby.

She liked to think that if none of this had happened, she still somehow would have crossed paths with the people now in her family. Maggie and Glenn would have met – probably in Atlanta when Maggie had moved there, as she had always planned on doing. Rick would have come out to the farm for some Sheriff related issue, wanting to ask her parents about a disturbance that had happened with one of their neighbors and Daryl…

Beth bit her lip at the thought of the older man. And Daryl probably would have been at one of her college parties. His brother would have been dealing less than legal materials to some of the other kids there and Daryl would be standing in a corner, drinking a beer and scowling at everyone as he tended to do. And Beth would see him and she wouldn't know where the bravery came from but she would be able to cross the room and introduce herself, offering him her hand and he would smirk a little but shake it and she would wind up spending the rest of the night with him, talking and trying to make him smile.

She smiled faintly at the thought. Yes. If none of this had happened, that would be exactly how she would have met Daryl Dixon.

As it had been happening so much more often lately, now that she was thinking of Daryl, her mind seemed unable to think of anything else. She told herself at least four times a day – and night – to stop thinking about him. It was a stupid crush and it didn't mean anything. All of these people living on top of each other, crushes were bound to happen. Especially unattainable ones. Those were the worst ones and yet, those seemed to be the most common, and having a crush on none other than Daryl Dixon, reluctant leader to this entire place, and main hunter and provider for everyone, Beth knew that anything happening with him would definitely be impossible.

For one thing, he would _never_ return the crush. Hence why it was an unattainable one. Daryl wouldn't look twice at someone like her. She was just a girl and it didn't matter how old she grew. He would probably never see her as anything else. A glorified babysitter. She had survived that winter before they found this prison just like they all had. She had killed her fair share of walkers but that definitely hadn't happened since they had managed to turn this place into a home. She was the one person in this prison who wasn't expected to kill anything. Her job was to keep all of the little ones alive.

Daryl was the sort who would be with a woman equally as tough as him. If Maggie was unattached and not married to Glenn, Daryl would probably want the older Greene sister. Maggie could take care of herself. No one ever doubted Maggie or told her to stay away from the fences. Maggie was just as tough as any man left. Michonne, too. If Beth didn't suspect that Michonne and Rick had some sort of attraction between them, Daryl and Michonne would probably make the perfect couple. Fierce fighters and killers. People would look at them and nod in completely understanding as to why they were together.

But the main reason Beth's crush on Daryl would always remain unattainable was because of Carol. Beth loved Carol. She had witnessed the small and broken woman on the farm grow into a strong woman – as tough as they came. She and Daryl had a bond between them that couldn't be broken and they loved one another. Beth just assumed they were together though she couldn't know for sure. It wasn't like they were Maggie and Glenn, announcing their business for everyone else to know.

And if Daryl was with Carol, that would make so much sense just as it would if he was with Maggie or Michonne or any other female left in this world. But not her. If he was with her, people would look twice and their brows would furrow and they would never understand. And Beth even admitted to herself that it definitely wouldn't make sense.

She wondered how long this crush was going to last.

"I'm fine," she then suddenly heard the familiar grumbling as the door to the cell block squealed open.

"You're not fine. You're bleeding like a stuffed pig," Beth heard Michonne say in response.

Beth sat up then, carefully not to disturb Judith. Had she gotten so lost in her thoughts that so much time had passed where Michonne and Daryl were able to get back from the run?

"You don't even know what that is," Daryl retorted.

"Just sit down and shut up and let me go get Hershel," Michonne said. "Stay," she then commanded in her fierce tone as if she was ordering around a dog and then Beth heard her footsteps as the woman left the cell block again.

Beth slowly slid from her bed, standing up and placing her pillow in place of where she was, watching Judith snuggle into it, remaining asleep, and when she left her cell, she saw Daryl sitting on the steps leading to the second landing, a cut in his arm and his red bandana pressed into it to stop the bleeding.

Beth couldn't help but gasp and she hurried to him, his eyes sharply lifting to watch her approach. He seemed to freeze at the sight of her.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

It took him a second to answer. "Yeah. Just a scratch."

"Not a bite?"

Without thinking about it, she moved his hands away and peeled the bandana back so she could look at the injury and he actually let her. It definitely wasn't a bite. She felt her heart slowing down a bit. Thank God. Just a second ago, she thought she was going to throw up.

"No," Daryl said in a low, quiet voice and she swore she felt goose bumps flesh across her bare skin at the sound of it tickling her.

She lifted her eyes then to him and saw him staring at her and Beth couldn't help but fall right into his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. She expected him to look away from her at any second but he kept staring into her own eyes so she kept staring into his.

"Beth."

Her name came from someone behind her but she couldn't move or look away from Daryl and she wondered how it was possible to go so long without breathing because she swore, she couldn't feel her heart beating anymore. Was Daryl breathing as he stared at her?

"Bethy." The voice was said a little louder and she felt something nudging her leg.

That snapped her out of it and she whirled around to see her daddy standing there, having poked her in the leg with one of his crutches to get her attention. And then she realized that her daddy had just witnessed her and Daryl staring at one another.

She quickly pulled her fingers away from where they still rested on Daryl's arm and she stood up straight.

"It's just a scratch but it definitely needs to be cleaned," she explained quickly and she could feel her entire face on fire as Hershel looked at her. She couldn't look at him though. She felt like she had just been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.

She had never been so grateful to hear Judith begin to cry as she was right in that moment and Beth hurried away as quickly as she could.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	5. Keeping a Distance

**Thank you so much for all of the reads and reviews. I am so glad (and relieved) that so many of you are liking this story so far!**

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…

 **Chapter Five.** Keeping a Distance.

Beth reached the last page of the book and she read the last lines but she didn't close the paperback and set it aside. Instead, she read the last lines again and again and she couldn't remember the last time she had read something that had given her goosebumps like this. Judith was on the floor beside her, laying down on her back, gnawing on her elephant's trunk, and Beth was sitting up beside her, the book folded open in her hands.

She had already had story time with the children for the afternoon and afterwards, they had all run out of the library, leaving Beth and Judith behind where Beth could read her own book. Maggie had gotten it for her, finding it on the side of the road, randomly lying amongst the gravel, and Beth couldn't help but wonder to the owner for them to be carrying this book and then just dropping it. They probably had to run. No matter what, sooner or later out there, on the other side of the fences, they always wound up running.

Beth told herself not to. She reminded herself that new books weren't always available, low on the list of priorities when people made runs for supplies, but Beth hadn't been able to help herself and she read the book within two days. And now, she sat on the floor of the library, her eyes staring at nothing but the last two lines on the last page. She suddenly understood why a person would carry this book around if just for these last two lines.

"I hope what I'm seeing is the ever after," she whispered out loud to herself, reading the words she had already memorized. "I hope it's you."

She laid down on her back beside Judith and she held the book open in front of her in the air. "What do you think, Juju?" She asked, turning her head towards the baby. "You think we should read it again? I think we definitely should."

She heard someone suddenly clearing her throat and she flew up to a sitting position again. Her cheeks instantly flushed when she saw that it was Daryl standing in the doorway. She wondered how long he had been standing there with her completely oblivious to him. She wondered if he had heard her reading out loud.

"Hi," she remembered herself and was finally able to speak.

He didn't say anything at first and Beth tried to swallow down the sudden dryness in her throat. He stood there in his dirty jeans and a shirt with no sleeves and his crossbow slung across his back, the strap crossing across his chest. She saw the bandage on his left upper arm that her daddy had wrapped for him and she wanted to ask him if he was alright but she found the words clumped in her throat, unable to form and give voice.

"Hey," he finally grunted. "We gotta council meetin' in a few minutes," he said.

"Oh!" She exclaimed and then quickly hurried to her feet, bending the book and shoving it in her back pocket, and then she bent down and hoisted Judith up in her arms. "Sorry about that. We didn't mean to hog the room."

"You're a'right," he said in a low voice and for some reason, she found herself standing there, unable to move. He still stood in the doorway and she remained standing a few feet away. "Whatcha readin' to her?" He then asked and Beth couldn't help but be surprised that it he had actually asked a question as if he wanted them to have a conversation.

Her throat, if possible, managed to grow even more dry. A conversation with Daryl Dixon. Three times in a few weeks. She wondered if she was allowed to get used to talking with him more or if eventually, they would go back to hardly acknowledging one at all.

She managed to smile faintly. "I'm reading it to myself. She just happens to be with me," she said. "Maggie found it for me the last time she was out there. It's _The Ice Queen_. Alice Hoffman. It's beautiful," she then added.

"Wha's it about?" Daryl asked and Beth looked at him, wondering why he was asking, but she told herself that she should take advantage of this while she could. There were just a few people that Daryl actually talked to in full sentences and for some reason known only to him, Beth had suddenly made the cut of who those people were.

"A woman gets struck by lightning and survives and she changes her entire life," she said.

Daryl nodded then as if he already knew that and his eyes moved to look at Judith in her arms, still chewing on the elephant's trunk. "She doin' a'right?" He asked.

"For now," Beth answered with a faint smile. "The baby book's warned me though that's it coming and it's not going to be pleasant when it does. I'm probably going to be getting no sleep when the teething really starts."

That made Daryl's eyes cut back to her. "If you need help with her, you can ask," he frowned and it was such a harsh frown, it surprised Beth and almost made her squirm.

She managed to keep smiling though. She shook her head. "No, it's fine, Daryl. Taking care of Judith is my job. None of you ask for help with your jobs."

Daryl just kept frowning but she wasn't going to explain herself more. He probably wouldn't understand. Daryl Dixon was never useless. He was used to everyone looking to him and he had always been able to take care of them and there wasn't anything he wasn't able to do. No, he definitely wouldn't understand. He didn't know what it was like be invisible and to be so easily replaceable. If a walker ever did get her, she knew they would mourn her but someone would easily take her job over the next day. She didn't know what they would do if something ever happened to Daryl. They would be completely lost.

"Well," she said after a moment of heavy silence between them and Daryl just kept frowning. "I should go, give you back the library for your meeting."

She finally took the steps forward towards the library doors but Daryl kept standing there and the closer she got to him, flutters began to form in her stomach and flap around madly like a hundred butterfly's wings.

"Is your arm alright?" She heard herself ask and she felt herself pause beside him.

He was staring at her again. "Told you already. Jus' a scratch. Tomorrow, Michonne and me are headin' out on the run again. I'll find her a teethin' ring."

Beth didn't realize how close they were standing in the library's doorway until he spoke and she could actually feel the warmth of his breath against her bare arms. She nearly shivered and found herself wanting to lean into him.

"Thank you," she whispered and she was close enough to see a scar he had on his chin.

She wondered how he had gotten it. Had it been before the world ended or after?

She thought of her own scar on the inside of her left wrist that she always covered with bracelets. That scar was a secret to no one. Even the new people brought back to the prison seemed to know about it within just a few days. She wondered if that was part of orientation. Here is your cell. Everyone's in charge of their own laundry. We'll assign you a job and yep. Beth Greene tried to kill herself once.

She felt the back of her neck flush at just the ridiculous thought.

"You needin' anythin' when I'm out there?" Daryl then asked her.

Underwear was her first thought but she couldn't ask Daryl for that.

"I'm alright," she shook her head and gave him a small smile. "Thank you though."

Daryl didn't say anything else and he kept staring at her and Beth found herself unable to stop staring at him in return. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her and just like it had happened in the cell block, she felt as if she had stopped breathing. Something about Daryl Dixon made both her heart and lungs forget how to function.

She suddenly felt something warm on the front of her shirt and she looked down to see that Judith had decided to just spit up all over her. Beth laughed, breathing again.

"Thanks, Juju," she joked and looked up to Daryl again. This time, she felt relaxed and was able to look at him without feeling completely hypnotized.

He looked at the scene and she swore, she saw his lips begin to twitch as if he was going to smile. "You okay?" He asked.

"Oh, yes," she smiled and somehow, Judith spitting up all over her had broken whatever tension had been hanging in the air just then between them. Beth felt completely relaxed again. "Definitely not the first time this little lady has decided to use me as a spit rag. I'm going to go get us both cleaned up."

Daryl nodded and didn't say anything else and as she finally walked through the library doors and headed down the hallway, she could feel his eyes on her, watching her go. For some reason, she couldn't help but think of those ending lines again.

 _I hope what I'm seeing is the ever after. I hope it's you._

And then she could do nothing but shake her head at herself.

…

Daryl sat at the table with a scowl on his face. He didn't know what the hell he was doing or thinking but that was one of the problems he had because when he was around Beth lately, he found that he wasn't able to think about anything. Something had to be wrong with him though because looking at Beth Greene like the way's he been lately, it was nothing but a death wish. Maybe that was the real problem though. He was a Dixon and they weren't exactly the brightest people put on this earth.

In the cell block, when Beth had hurried away to go fetch a crying Judith, Hershel had him come sit down at a table so he could look over his cut and the entire time, Daryl sat there with a tension in his body, just waiting for Hershel to say something about the way he and Beth had been staring at one another. And that was another problem. Beth had been staring at him, too. Why the hell was she staring at him? Maybe she had the answer that he didn't.

But Hershel didn't say a word. He just talked about the vegetables in the garden that were getting ready to be picked and Daryl stared at the old man, finding it hard to believe that he had nothing to say about him staring at his daughter like he had been. His _young_ daughter. Hershel was protective of Beth and rightfully so. Hershel wasn't a stupid man and he knew that it wasn't just the dead he had to worry about when it came to his pretty young daughter. Even before the world ended, a girl who looked like Beth had to be careful of unsafe, unsavory types. And now, most people had only become more desperate.

Daryl didn't believe for one second that Hershel had nothing to say to him about the way he had been staring at Beth.

But Hershel didn't say anything and he just smiled at Daryl when he was done and told him he was good to go and he had to be more careful climbing through wreckage. The last thing they needed was him getting tetanus.

"That's a charming expression," Carol teased him as she entered the library and came to sit down at the table beside him.

Daryl grunted and shifted in his seat but didn't say anything in response. Within the next few minutes, Sasha and Michonne both arrived and then Glenn and Hershel. When they had come up with the idea for the council, Daryl had wanted Rick to join but he should have known better than to ask. Rick just shook his head and told him that it probably wasn't a good idea. He wasn't a good guy to be making the decisions for everyone.

Daryl had wanted to call him on his bullshit. Living in this prison and making it their home had been entirely Rick's idea and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to any of them but Daryl just nodded and stayed quiet and respected Rick's decision to concentrate on nothing right now except his crops. He deserved that.

He lifted his eyes as Hershel sat down at the other end of the table, across from him, and again, Daryl found himself slightly tensing at the sight of the man's smile. Hershel was usually smiling – just one of those nice guys – but Daryl couldn't help but be suspicious about it all. Was smiling at him just Hershel's way of being nice before he made his attack? Was he just waiting for Daryl to get comfortable and drop his guard?

Daryl wanted to tell Hershel that he didn't have anything to worry about. Because there was no way that Daryl was going to be caught staring at Beth again. There was no way in hell he was going to look at her ever again. There were plenty of other things he could settle his eyes on and he wasn't looking to have Hershel kick his ass because even though the man only had one leg, Hershel was still one tough son of a bitch.

"So, what's up?" Sasha asked once they had all found seats at the table.

Daryl took a deep breath and then shook his head as if shaking all thoughts of Beth Greene out of there. "We gotta talk about the fences," he told them all and by all of their expressions – not a single one of them looking confused or surprised – Daryl knew that they all knew that they definitely did have to talk about the fences.

…

He had bagged a deer the day before and Rick had harvested plenty of corn to be roasted and a big meal like that for dinner always put everyone in high spirits. Everyone was talking and laughing and after eating, the kids were running around, trying to catch lightning bugs in a glass jar.

"We should give them to Beth," Mika suggested and all of them eagerly agreed.

"Why don't you help them?" Rick suggested to Carl sitting beside him but Carl just gave him a look before continuing to much on his ear of corn.

For telling himself to stop thinking about her, Daryl admitted that as soon as he stepped out onto the blacktop where they had set up tents for outdoor eating, his eyes scanned the people already there, looking for her. But he didn't see her and he made damn sure he didn't ask anyone where she was. He didn't care. He told himself this repeatedly as he got himself a plate of food and sat down at the table across from Rick.

But the longer he sat there and his plate was eventually clean of food, Beth still wasn't there and he was felt himself frowning. Where the hell was she? Everyone else in the prison was there – except for the ones in the guard towers on duty – but she, and Judith, was nowhere to be seen.

He glanced over to Maggie and Glenn, sitting on the other side of the table, next to Carl.

"Where's Beth?" He asked before he could swallow down the question.

No one looked at him weird though for having asked it.

Maggie swallowed her mouth of deer. "She stayed in the cell block. Judith was crying up a storm and Beth didn't want to ruin anyone's nice dinner. I told her no one would care but she wasn't going to listen."

Conversation resumed around them and Daryl found himself looking towards the building where Cellblock C was. So what? She just wasn't going to eat dinner? Girl was already a little thing and it wasn't like she could afford to skip meals. Besides, it wasn't every night they had roasted deer and corn for dinner. He wondered if anyone else had thought of that.

He waited a few minutes, not wanting to be obvious about what he was doing, but then he finally stood up, taking his empty plate to the bin where all the dishes would be carried to the kitchen to be washed after everyone was done eating. He then went up to the grills where Carol was, turning over the last few pieces of meat.

"Want some more?" She asked with a smile, already grabbing another clean plate from the stack. He didn't say anything and she gave him a large portion like she always did. She always told him that no one in this prison needed to keep up his strength more than him.

Daryl grunted his thanks to her and taking a fork and a knife, he then headed across the yard, hoping no one noticed him because even though he technically wasn't going anything wrong – keeping people fed was part of his job – it still felt like he had to sneak around.

As soon as he climbed the steps and entered the cellblock, he could hear Lil' Asskicker crying at the top of her lungs and Beth's voice, trying to sing to her to calm her down.

She was pacing up and down the catwalk on the second floor and Daryl looked up at her. Even standing on the ground, looking up at her, he could see how tired she looked. And who could blame her? He loved Judith but not even he thought he could stand to be around a crying baby all hours of the day without getting a break.

He took the stairs two at a time and when Beth turned and saw him standing on the perch, she stopped dead in her tracks and the song died in her throat.

He looked at her for a second. "Brought you dinner," he then said, holding up the plate.

"Oh," she said in a voice raw – probably from singing nonstop to the baby, who was still wailing away in her arms. "Thanks. You didn't have to though."

Daryl shrugged. "Everyone already ate. Couldn't jus' let you skip a meal."

She looked at him for a moment and then she melted into a smile that made the tips of his ears turn red. "Thank you, Daryl."

He shrugged. "Switch 'ya," he said and with that, he closed the space between them and he held out the plate of food while he swiftly plucked Judith from her arms with one of his.

She opened her mouth and he had a feeling she was going to protest so he made sure she didn't get the chance to. Without a word, he turned and headed down the stairs, planning on taking Judith outside so Beth could eat in peace.

So much for keeping himself away from her.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	6. Glass

**I cannot thank you all enough for the warm response you are giving this story.**

* * *

…

 **Chapter Six.** Glass.

Daryl was frowning – which wasn't anything out of the ordinary because Daryl was always frowning. But this time, Daryl was frowning at every single person he saw. No one was spared from the dark storm cloud that had been his expression ever since coming out of his cell that morning. Most just assumed he was tired. And he was. But that wasn't the reason he was in such a bad mood.

Judith was in the middle of teething and she was making sure that everyone knew it. She was crying constantly, only falling asleep when she had completely exhausted herself, and the person with her as she went through this wasn't her dad or her older brother. It was the closest thing she had to a mom anymore.

And that girl was beyond the point of exhaustion. As he stood at the fences, he could hear Judith's cries echoing in the morning air and he would look over his shoulder to see Beth up the hill, walking back and forth along the side of the prison, away from everyone, and he didn't have to see her clearly to imagine the circles under her eyes.

Daryl turned back towards the fence and shoved the crowbar roughly into the head of the walker, snapping and snarling right in front of him.

He didn't tell Rick what to do. He never felt that he really have a place to. No matter what he thought or how he acted, Rick was really the guy still in charge of this prison. Daryl didn't care that everyone looked to him as if he was. And usually, he respected Rick too much to tell him what to do. And Daryl knew that being around Judith most of the time was too sad for him. Every time Rick looked at the baby girl, he was reminded of Lori and his depression started all over again. Daryl got that.

But Rick – and everyone – just couldn't expect Beth to take over raising a baby all on her own. They all got breaks from their own jobs but never Beth. Judith needed twenty-four hour care and that all fell on Beth's shoulders. Her job never ended and everyone went about their own lives, never thinking about it because they felt that she could handle it because she's always been able to handle it. Daryl wasn't only pissed at everyone but he was pissed at himself, too, because he could tell how tired Beth was and how horrible Judith was being right now and he hadn't offered to help either.

And he didn't understand why he hadn't offered. It was one of his jobs – making sure everyone within these fences was safe and a girl about to collapse from exhaustion wasn't safe. Even living here, safe from the walkers – for now – a person had to be alert. He looked over his shoulder again, seeing Beth pacing her countless line. He couldn't really be the only person out of all of them that saw this happening. Where the hell was Hershel?

"Beth! Beth!"

Daryl's eyes sharply found the kids running towards her and his frown grew. He couldn't hear what they were saying but they were practically hopping with excitement and whatever it was, Beth nodded her head and they let out a collection of cheers. But before anything could happen, Daryl could see Beth start to sway.

"Beth!" Lizzie suddenly exclaimed and was quick to grab Judith from her arms just before Beth fainted to the ground.

Daryl didn't hesitate in dropping his crowbar and taking off for the hill. He wasn't the only one running towards them. Apparently, he hadn't been the only one watching and had seen her faint. By the time he got there, Maggie and Bob were already there, kneeling beside her and Rick and Hershel were coming, too. Judith was still crying but her arms were stretched out towards Beth, trying to wiggle from Lizzie's arms so she could get back to Beth. When Rick arrived, he plucked his baby daughter into his own arms but even then, Judith was still trying to fidget and reach out for Beth.

"What is it?" Maggie asked Bob as Hershel kneeled down beside her.

"She's alright," Bob said, two of his fingers on Beth's throat, feeling her heartbeat.

"This has happened before…" Maggie trailed off, the words thick in her throat.

Daryl stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face. He had a problem with Bob – ever since the run to the veterinary college and the booze he had found in his bag. He didn't trust the man but he seemed to be the only one so Daryl just kept himself away from him and ignored the man. He watched him now as he looked over Beth and he had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep from telling Bob to get the hell away from her. He absolutely had no right to do that. He really didn't have a right to be here in the first place. Beth's sister and dad were here and why the hell was he here, too?

"It's not like that this time," Hershel told her quietly with a shake of his head.

"Extreme exhaustion and dehydration," Bob concluded. "Her body needs rest."

 _No shit_ , Daryl snorted to himself.

"Let's get her back to her cell," Rick then suggested and Daryl finally no longer felt like he was just a useless bump on a log, standing there.

Without discussion, he stooped down beside Beth and slid his arms beneath her, easily lifting her up in his arms. He wasn't going to think about how light she was. He waited for someone to protest at Daryl carrying her but no one said a word as they all stood up and Daryl began heading towards the door to cellblock C. He saw that a small crowd had gathered and the storm cloud remained on his face as he walked.

Nice to see they were all concerned about her now.

"We just asked her to play hide and seek," the little boy, Luke, was whimpering. "We didn't mean to hurt her."

"You didn't do anything," Maggie assured him, staying behind to comfort the children who all looked scared and shaken.

Hershel appeared suddenly at Daryl's side and reached past him to open the door for him. "Thank you, Daryl," he said as Daryl walked past but Daryl didn't say anything or even acknowledge him as he carried Beth into the cellblock and to her cell.

She was too light. Why was she so damn light? Food obviously wasn't as plentiful as it used to be but they did alright. They had plenty of vegetables now and he did okay with hunting and they had plenty of canned goods stocked. They were able to eat breakfast and dinner every day so why did it feel like Beth hadn't eaten in weeks?

He crouched down and laid Beth down on her bed as carefully as he could, stepping back as Hershel adjusted her head on the pillow and then pulled her cowboy boots off. He heard steps and turned his head to see that Rick stood in the doorway of the cell, Judith no longer in his arms, clearly having been passed to someone else.

"We gotta help her out with lil' Asskicker," Daryl heard himself speak before he could even fully comprehend the thoughts in his head.

"I've tried over the past few days," Hershel said, standing up straight and together, the three men left Beth's cell. "Every time I've tried to offer to take Judith from her though, she told me that this was her job and she had to be the one to do it."

"Don't really matter what she says," Daryl shook his head and he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall, and from the corner of his eye, he could still look into Beth's cell and see her on the bed – as if he expected her to get up and run away.

Daryl looked to Rick and Rick was quiet but Daryl knew he was thinking. He had seen that look on the man's face enough times to recognize it.

"Did you see the way Judith was outside?" Rick then spoke in a low, quiet voice. "She didn't want anyone to hold her except Beth."

"Is she eatin'?" Daryl asked suddenly, looking to Hershel.

Hershel looked at him and Daryl swore that the man looked like he wanted to smile at him. Daryl wondered if he could take the question back. Beth was part of the family, sure, but he was acting too concerned over her and Hershel could obviously tell. Daryl had no reason to be so concerned about Beth and he wished he had just stayed at the fence when she fainted and hadn't raced over here and carried her in his arms and showed just how concerned he actually was over her. And he didn't want to try and figure out just why he was so concerned over her.

"She's always been skinny," Hershel said, reading his mind, and Daryl nodded, quick to turn his eyes away from the older man.

He looked when Carol entered the cell block then, a folded towel in her hand.

"I just soaked it in some water," she explained to the three men. "We'll put it over her forehead. Help to cool her down a little."

And with that, she went into the cell. Daryl couldn't help but turn his head and watch as Carol sat down on the side of the bed beside Beth and folding the towel, she placed it gently across Beth's head, murmuring something to her too quietly for Daryl to hear.

"She'll be alright," Carol said once she stepped out of the cell again and Daryl thought she was speaking to Hershel but when he turned his eyes, he saw that she was talking to him.

He looked at her, brow furrowed, and he shrugged his shoulders quickly. "Jus' wanna make sure she's not gettin' sick," he was quick to say. "Hard enough to get medicine the first time we needed it."

No one said anything in response and Daryl pushed himself off the wall.

"'m headin' back to the fences," he said and not looking at any of them – able to feel all of their eyes on him anyway – he headed out of the cellblock, walking at a normal pace even if all he wanted to do right then was run the hell away from all of them.

…

Beth's eyes fluttered open and she instantly realized she was staring up at the bottom of the bunk above her but she still had no idea where she was. She had just been outside in the yard with Judith, near tears herself as the baby wailed in agony, and then the kids had run up to her and she had agreed to play hide and seek with them. And then…

She was in her cell. She recognized the feel of the feather comforter beneath her and the softness of the pillow beneath her head. How did she get in here? What time was it?

She laid there for another moment, her head spinning, and she closed her eyes, feeling her body roll as if on a rollercoaster. But then, realizing that it was entirely too quiet, Beth gasped as she sat up so fast, her stomach flipped but she ignored the possible nausea. Her eyes frantically looked to the pen in the corner but it was empty. Where was Judith?

She saw that her boots were off and she quickly tugged them on before hurrying from her cell. No one was in the cellblock and through the windows, she saw that the sun was lower in the sky – nearing dusk. Where was the baby? Why was she in her cell, sleeping in the middle of the day. Her heart was drumming at a rapid pace as she raced from the cellblock and burst outside again.

"Beth!" Maggie instantly called her name and Beth's frantic eyes fell on her sister as Maggie began coming towards her. And in her arms, there was Judith, crying.

Beth had never been so happy to hear the baby cry and she rushed down the steps before rushing to Maggie. She instantly grabbed Judith and pulled her into her arms and the baby seemed to fall quiet almost immediately now that she was back in Beth's arms. She pressed her warm and wet little face to the side of Beth's throat and Beth held her tightly.

"What happened?" Beth asked, both demanding and scared at the same time. Why couldn't she remember anything from the past few hours?

"You fainted, Bethy," Maggie informed her. "Bob says you were exhausted and dehydrated and your body just needed a break." She put her arm around Beth's shoulders and pulled her into a side hug. "And now that you're up, you're going to drink a gallon of water. Come on," she said and Beth didn't protest as Maggie pulled her towards the shelter they had built on the blacktop for outdoor eating.

Fainted? Oh god, had she really fainted? In the prison yard where everyone could see? Oh god, please, no. She couldn't have possibly fainted just because she was _tired_. Why did she have to faint? As if she needed to give everyone further proof that she wasn't as strong as them and that she really was more of a bother than a help. Her stomach began knotting itself painfully as she blindly followed after Maggie.

Poor Beth. Can't even handle caring for a little baby without letting it get to her. She has one job in this prison and she can't even handle that.

"Sit," Maggie ordered and Beth didn't argue as she sat down on the bench at one of the tables. She watched as Maggie went to one of the barrels of water and she saw Carol standing at one of the grills, but when their eyes met, Carol burst into a smile and came over as Maggie returned as well.

"Thank god you're alright," Carol kissed her head as she sat down beside her. "You gave us all quite a fright."

"I'm sorry," Beth was quick to apologize as Maggie sat down on her other side and handed her a cup of water.

"Drink," Maggie said, ordering again, and Carol rubbed a hand on her back as Beth did just that. Judith shifted on her lap, still leaning against her chest, awake but quiet.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for," Carol told her but Beth didn't say anything as she continued to drink. She really didn't believe her but she didn't need to say that. "I know how tiring being a mom is and shame on all of us for not helping you more."

That made Beth rip the cup away from her lips. "No!" She didn't mean to say that as loud as she had and her cheeks warmed with a blush as both women blinked at her. Beth shook her head slightly. "I don't need help. Judith is my responsibility," she said.

"Bethy-" Maggie began to protest.

"No," Beth fiercely said and gave Maggie a sharp look. "I have one job here and that's to take care of Judith and I can do it without help. You all have jobs you do without someone helping."

"Beth," Carol spoke to her gently as if not wanting to startle her and for some reason, that just made Beth angry.

They were all talking to and treating her like glass now. That was how they always treated her. Poor Beth with the slit wrist and weak mind, not strong enough to do anything we need her to do.

"Beth," Carol said her name again. "No one's trying to take her away from you. We just want to help you more with her care."

"I'm doing a good job, aren't I? Judith's getting everything she needs, right?" Beth demanded. If they thought she was an adequate caregiver, she wanted them to come right out and say it rather than this dance they were doing around her and making her head hurt more than it already was.

"Beth, stop it," Maggie said sternly. "You're getting too defensive for no reason. We're just trying to help-"

"I don't need help," Beth snapped and stood up, slamming the empty cup on the table.

Judith whimpered at the sound and without looking at Maggie and Carol again, Beth couldn't help but storm away from the table. She headed down the hill through the grass, heading towards the far side of the prison where she knew she could be by herself. She hated when she began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes. Great, not only did she faint but she cried, too. When had she gotten so pathetic? Was she always like this?

No. She knew the answer. She never thought about it but she knew when everything in her life had changed and fallen apart and she had never been able to put it all together again.

That day, the barn and the walkers… her mom…

More tears began to build and Beth blinked them away as quickly as she could. She was not going to cry. She had told Daryl she didn't cry anymore and she meant it. The only way to get through everything now was become numb to everything. It was the only way. She couldn't allow herself to feel.

She didn't even want to feel the flutters in her stomach just the flashing of Daryl's name in her mind gave her. Having a crush was stupid and pointless in this new world and Daryl Dixon would _never_ show interest in a girl who fainted.

With a deep sigh, she leaned against the brick wall behind her and then slowly sank down to the ground. She stretched her legs out in front of her and sat Judith down on her thighs, having the baby face her. She gave her a small smile and then leaned forward, kissing her on her forehead. She could hear the beginning chirps of the crickets as the sun began sinking and past the fence, she saw a walker stumble from the trees. It could smell her and it immediately rambled up to the fence where it began growling at the sight of her.

Beth ignored it though and looked back to Judith. She gave the baby a smile. "Well, at least you're not crying anymore."

Carefully, Beth guided a finger into Judith's mouth and felt the slobbery gums like the book had told her to do. She felt the bumps of the teeth – her two bottom ones were going to be coming in first – and she smiled as Judith began to suddenly start sucking on her finger as if it was a pacifier.

"I read that sucking pacifiers will give you crooked teeth," Beth told her. "But next time Daryl goes on a run, we'll ask him to find one for us. Hopefully, he won't mind."

She sat there and she knew she had to go apologize to Maggie and Carol. She had absolutely no reason to snap at them like she did. But for now, she just wanted to sit here for a little while longer. On this side of the prison, it was quiet and ignoring the walker at the fence, it almost felt like she and Judith were the only people in the world. Sometimes, Beth thought of how far she and Judith would get if that was the truth. Apparently not that far since she fainted when she got to be too tired.

Beth sighed and slowly pulled her finger from Judith's mouth and Judith began slobbering all over her fist. Beth managed a small smile but then she rested her head against the wall behind her. It would be dinnertime soon and Maggie would come looking for her but right now, Beth just wanted to be alone for as long as she could.

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading! Daryl/Beth actual interaction in the next chapter!**


	7. My Bodyguard

**I don't usually update on weekends so I hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday and Sunday!**

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…

 **Chapter Seven.** My Bodyguard.

The fight happened after breakfast. Beth wasn't entirely too sure what happened as she had already left the table to go and get Judith changed into a clean onesie for the day and just as she stepped onto the bottom step that led to cellblock C, she heard some sort of ruckus and she turned just in time to see Daryl punch a man in the jaw.

Beth gasped and Rick had already jumped up to pull Daryl back but not before the man was able to throw a punch of his own to Daryl's cheek. He said something then but Beth couldn't hear the words clearly but whatever it was, Rick's own face turned to stone and he actually let go of Daryl so Daryl could punch the man again. And again.

There were shouts and people trying to break it up and Beth turned Judith away so the baby wouldn't be able to see. When the two were finally pulled apart again, Beth got a clearer look at the other man. A man named Nick who Daryl and Glenn had brought back with them just the week ago. What had happened where Daryl had actually punched him? Despite his outward appearance, Daryl just didn't go around punching people. He had calmed down so much since their days at the farm when he had been an active stick of dynamite, ready to blow at any second.

Beth slowly approached the scene once Daryl and Nick had been separated and pulled away in opposite directions of the yard. Beth headed right for Daryl. Her daddy was there, inspecting his face, and both turned when they heard her approaching. Hershel gave her a small smile but Daryl was just staring at her and she almost winced at the stark redness against his cheek. His eyes seemed to be such a darker shade of blue that morning and as he pinned them on her, they almost made her want to stop walking towards them and turn right around. But she pushed herself forward until she stood with both of them.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly, daring herself to look up at him even with her daddy standing there. He had hair hanging in his eyes and her fingers itched, wanting to push it back from his face for him.

Daryl grunted what she assumed was a response but she didn't think it was actually English. He moved his eyes then back to Hershel as if he was somehow dismissing her.

"Bethy," Hershel was still looking at her though and still smiling. "Do you mind taking Daryl inside and cleaning his cheek for him? I have to go see to Nick. He's a lot worse off," he explained and both Beth and Hershel were able to see Daryl visibly tense at that. Hershel turned his head to look at the man. "Your cheek's cut and it needs to be seen to. Don't be stubborn," the man said in a firm tone and with that, he turned and smiling at Beth and giving Judith a pat on the head, Hershel began heading across the yard to other side where Nick stood with a few others.

Beth watched him go for a moment and then looked to Daryl, finding that he was already staring at her. She did her best to smile at him though she admitted that for some reason, she felt suddenly – and ridiculously – nervous around him.

"I have the cotton balls and antiseptic in my cell," she told him though he already knew that.

Daryl shook his head – which she had been expecting. "'m fine," he said in a grunt.

"My daddy's right. You need to get that cleaned," she said and for some reason, his reluctance – or refusal – made her more determined now to get him inside with her. "It will only take a second. And don't worry. It only stings for a second if you're scared about that."

Daryl stared at her at that comment and she pursed her lips together, almost giggling. And then, slowly, an actual smirk slid across his lips and he shook his head and she was glad he knew she was teasing him and didn't seem to mind. Daryl Dixon was such a hard man to read and even after being around him for so long, he was still the one member of their family that she knew the least about. She wondered if anyone really did know him. Probably Rick and Carol. Maybe even her daddy knew some things. But definitely not her and she was glad that she had chosen the right moment to make a little joke and that he had been willing to receive it.

"Come on," she said, taking a step back. "I know what I'm doing. I promise."

Daryl didn't say anything and she expected him to just turn away and walk in the opposite direction of where they had to go but instead, he took a step forward and lifted Judith from her arms. Judith gave him a gummy smile as Daryl held her in one of his arms and he smiled a little at her, too. Beth smiled to herself as she headed towards the cellblock and Daryl was following behind. She admitted that her arms felt a little weird without holding Judith but she wasn't selfish to say that no one else was allowed to hold her. Judith wasn't hers. Maggie had brought her into this world. Daryl had kept her alive. Carl had named her. She was all of theirs.

As they climbed the steps to return inside to the cellblock, she looked over her shoulder to see Nick and her daddy sitting at a table, Hershel examining Nick's cuts and bruises that now marred his face.

Beth didn't know him. She hadn't really gotten the chance since he had been at the prison for such a short time but he had come there as so many of the others had. Daryl and Glenn had been out and had found him and two others, out there, trying to survive on their own.

There were three questions everyone was asked before they were asked – or not asked – come back to the prison to live with the rest of them. How many walkers have you killed? How many people have you killed? Why? Beth always thought of her answers. She had killed her fair share of walkers. That winter before finding this place and then finding this place and clearing it out. She didn't know how many she killed. But she hadn't killed anyone who wasn't dead already and she knew she was one of the rare people left in the world.

She couldn't help but wonder what Nick's answers had been. Obviously, they had been the right answers because Daryl and Glenn had brought him and his companions back here. But now, just a few days later, Daryl was punching him and she took note of the man now. She found it hard to believe that he had survived out there for so long on his own – and she felt guilty for thinking that but she couldn't help it. He was lean – which was understandable – and his red hair and beard were cut and trimmed nicely. He cleaned up nicely and it was hard to imagine him out there, surviving as they all had.

Her eyes glanced back to Daryl and he must have been looking at Nick, too, because the frown on his face was almost scary in a way. Dark and intense and not even Judith babbling to him and slapping a hand on his chin could get him to wipe it away.

"Here, sit," she said once they got to her cell.

Daryl bent down and set Judith down in her pen where the baby immediately grabbed one of her red plastic cups and Beth wasn't surprised when Daryl sat on the stool at the desk bolted to the floor than on the bed. Beth kneeled down on the floor and pulled the first-aid kit out from under the bed.

"Runnin' out of wall space," he grunted, surprising her, and Beth looked up at him to see that he was looking at her walls and what she had taped to them. Some random pictures that had been found on runs – photographs from around the world and famous paintings. But then, she also had many drawings hanging that the children had done and eagerly gave to her as if she was the mom proudly displaying them on the refrigerator.

And she supposed that to some of the children, that was exactly who she was.

She smiled. "I think art class is their favorite," she commented. "When Glenn came back with that pad of construction paper the other day, they were acting as excited as if he had just handed them a basket of candy."

Daryl didn't say anything, still looking at the walls, but his eyes quickly cut to her when she came to kneel in front of him. She gave him a small smile and held up the cotton ball.

"Ready?" She asked.

He gave his head a single nod and as she gently began dabbing at the cut on his cheekbone with antiseptic, he didn't even flinch. She knew this wasn't his first time being hurt. Not by a long shot. Maybe he was just used to the sting and he wasn't like one of the children who needed to be sung to in order to distract them.

"What was the fight about?" Beth finally asked the question that had been on her tongue this whole time though she didn't actually expect him to answer.

She paused, the cotton ball resting against his cheek, and Daryl turned his eyes to look at her. There was something about his eyes that made her want to look nowhere but there. There blue but there were hints of grey, too. Not obvious but it was definitely there. Swirling around as if there was a storm moving in across the sky. They were small eyes – not wide like hers. More than one person had told her that she had eyes as wide as a doe's. Daryl's though were small and he usually kept them narrowed; as if he was suspicious of everything in this world and she supposed that he actually was.

"You," Daryl answered then, rather bluntly.

Beth's eyes widened, having never expected it to be that. "Me?" She gawked at him.

Daryl didn't say anything else though. "It clean?" He asked instead.

She ignored the question. "Why was it about me?" Her hand still rested to his face, the cotton ball on his cheek, and she could do nothing but stare at him. "Daryl, what happened?" She asked and she heard the hardness in her voice, demanding it from him.

Daryl just stared at her, clearly having no plans to answer her. "It's clean," he then decided for himself and without saying anything else, he stood up.

He didn't leave like she expected him to. She tossed the cotton ball into the trashcan and stood up, staring at him. He stood in the doorway of her cell, staring right back at her.

"If he comes anywhere near you, come and tell me," he said.

Beth felt a prick on the back of her neck. "Why?"

"He's not gonna be anywhere near you, Beth," he said.

"Daryl, why?" She found herself taking a step closer to him.

Daryl frowned at her. "You wan' that guy to be near you?" He asked in his low voice, borderline growl, and Beth knew she was imagining it but for just a second, it almost sounded like Daryl was jealous.

It was completely in her head though, she knew.

"I didn't say that," she frowned at him with a shake of her head.

"Good," he said.

"Daryl-" she began to try again; wanting to know why on earth two grown men had been punching one another because of _her_ but all she was able to say was his name before Daryl turned and left the cell, effectively cutting off any further conversation between them.

…

Beth asked Maggie and her daddy what the fight had been about but Maggie's eyes just grew hard as steel and wouldn't tell her and Hershel just shook his head and stayed quiet about the whole thing, too. She supposed she could go ask Rick but she knew that he would just refuse her, too, so she didn't even bother.

She wasn't blind though.

Over the next few days, she noticed that Daryl was always nearby. As if he was keeping guard or something. Out in the yard with the kids, drawing with the bucket of sidewalk chalk or playing tag or hide-and-seek, during their lessons where she taught them basic math and reading or when she and Mika went exploring for different bugs. Mika loved science – especially bugs – and Beth wondered if they could find her a science book somewhere. And even when they were in the library, reading _Harry Potter_ and talking about the play the children wanted to start rehearsing, Beth would look up and Daryl would be right _there_ , leaning against the wall right outside the doors, never coming in but just watching.

And Beth just didn't understand because he had so many other things – _important_ things – to do than play babysitter to her. What the hell had Nick said that Daryl had punched him? What about her had been said that Daryl was now acting like this? She had a right to know.

After the kids ran out of the library at the end of story time, Beth stood up, leaving Judith on her blanket on the floor and gathering the books the kids had pulled down from the shelves, she began returning them to their proper places. She didn't look at Daryl leaning against the wall but she knew he hadn't left yet. She could _feel_ him. And even though she wanted so badly to just ignore the whole thing and have her body go numb, her stomach was ignoring her and fluttering around at just the idea of him being there; as if she had just swallowed a live moth and it was going crazy inside of her, trying to escape.

"Damn it," she swore softly to herself as she stood on her toes and tried to return one of the books to the top shelf but it slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor.

She'd have to talk to Luke again about climbing the shelves.

Suddenly, a hand appeared just as she was bending down to pick it up and Daryl was there, standing right next to her, picking the book up before she could. In the days since he had begun following her around, he never spoke to her or put himself close to her but right now, just like that, he was right here and Beth couldn't help but stare up at him as if this was her first time ever seeing him.

"Where do you wan' it?" He asked.

"Oh," Beth quickly shook herself from her thoughts before they could wander too much. "Just the top shelf. No one really cares about alphabetizing anymore though it's a library. Things should be alphabetized. I've actually thought about coming in here and doing it myself but it would probably take me days. We've built quite a collection."

She was rambling. She knew it. But she didn't really care because Daryl was standing right here and she found herself wanting to take advantage of it. She didn't want him to just turn around and go back to keeping himself there but not there at all.

The moth was now fluttering upwards towards her throat.

"Thank you," she said as he returned the book and pulled his arm down and she nearly shivered as it brushed against her arm briefly.

"You headin' to the laundry room now?" He asked and she knew that her schedule was simple enough to memorize but there was something about Daryl knowing her schedule that made her feel – for a brief moment – special.

She nodded. "I have to wash Judith's diapers," she said. "Do you need to have anything washed?" She asked and she noticed that he was still standing beside her and she had to tilt her chin up in order to look to his face.

He was staring down at her, too, his eyes set on nothing but in her own, and the moth had split in half so she now had more wings fluttering around in her stomach.

And she had no idea. She really didn't. If someone asked her to explain herself, there was no way that she would ever actually be able to give an explanation.

All she knew was one second she was looking up at him and he was looking down at her, and the next second, Beth had pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

And just like when she had hugged him, Daryl was stiff and unresponsive, and she slowly began to pull her lips away to end the very chaste kiss. But just as her lips began to separate from his, she felt Daryl's hand suddenly on her cheek – light and barely there at all – and his lips were chasing after hers to keep contact. Beth happily pressed hers back to his and he stood there, not necessarily kissing her but not pulling his lips away and Beth was more than happy to just stand there, with him, with their lips touching.

She was actually kissing Daryl Dixon and there were thousands of moths now in her stomach, fluttering and flying around, and she didn't expect them to stop anytime soon.

…

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 **Don't worry. This won't speed things up between these two at all. They like moving at the pace of a glaciar.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	8. Stay Strong

**The response the last chapter got... wow. Just, wow. I can't thank you all enough for all of the reviews. I'm speechless with the support you are showing this story.**

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…

 **Chapter Eight.** Stay Strong.

"We've never kicked anyone out before," Sasha said after they were all quiet for a few moments, thinking on what Daryl had said as soon as the council meeting had begun.

"We could kill 'im first," Daryl grunted, more serious than not.

"Do we send him with some provisions?" Glenn asked.

"We're not going to spare any on him," Carol was the one to answer and Daryl turned his head to look at her because she just sounded so cold in that moment and while he was in complete agreement with her, he still wasn't necessarily used to this new Carol. She had changed over the months they had worked to make this prison home and there was nothing left of the meek little woman apologizing for breathing too loud who he had first met.

"What exactly did he say to her?" Michonne asked.

Daryl glanced to Hershel, not knowing if he was comfortable repeating Nick's words in front of Beth's father but Hershel already knew what Nick had said and Daryl repeated them again now, not lifting his eyes from the table.

It was quiet for a few passing moments after that.

"And you guys brought him back here?" Sasha asked with a frown on her face, looking at Glenn and then at Daryl.

"Hey," Glenn frowned back at her. "There are three questions and you know one of them isn't 'are you an asshole?'."

"Maybe we need to stop bringing people back," Michonne said in a low mutter and Daryl found himself agreeing with her.

They didn't need any more people. They had plenty. And the more people there were, the harder it was to provide for all of them. There was only so much food for all of them. There were only so many runs he could go on. And the more people there were, the easier it was for something to go wrong. Like having one slip through the cracks who says something about Beth. Or any of them but mainly Beth. Just thinking about it now, Daryl felt his body go tense. No one was allowed to talk about her like or even really look at her.

He thought about their kiss right here in the library earlier just that afternoon. He had no idea why she had kissed him; had no idea what she was thinking or that she had even wanted that. But she had stood on her toes and kissed him so lightly, he thought at first he had just imagined the whole damn thing. He had stood there with no reaction, very aware of her scent and her warmth swirling around him like a damn fog. How the hell, in this world, did she smell so damn sweet? He didn't necessarily kiss her back but when she began to pull away, Daryl lifted his hand to her cheek to make sure that she didn't.

Kissing Beth, or rather, Beth kissing him, was the nicest thing that had happened to him in a long time. He didn't know if it would happen again but he knew he wouldn't argue if it did.

He just had to make sure it happened again – if it did happen again – in someplace like the library. Someplace where no one else could see. But that made him frown because if he thought he had to be hiding it, it probably was because he knew it wasn't right. And of course it wasn't right. This was _Beth_. Sweet and innocent and Judith's mom and he couldn't just be kissing her. Who the hell was he to kiss her? She had been the one to kiss him but she was probably confused; probably still twisted up over Zach's death and she wasn't thinking straight. It didn't make sense for Beth Greene to want to ever kiss him.

"When do you want to do it?" Carol asked, breaking through his thoughts.

"Right now," Daryl said, not seeing a point in keeping Nick around for a second longer.

"What about the two people he came in with?" Sasha asked.

"Carly and Scott are good people," Hershel finally spoke. "Carly's been helping in the infirmary and Scott's been on fence duty every day. I don't think they'll argue with the decision once we tell them."

Daryl gave his head a single head nod and then stood up. "I'll show 'im to the gate."

Glenn stood up, too. "I'll come with you."

With that, the council meeting was adjourned and Glenn and Daryl left the library, heading for the tombs where some of the newer people – including Nick – had cells. He wasn't there though and they finally found him outside. Daryl's eyes immediately sought out Beth, wishing she was inside but knowing that she probably wasn't. And she wasn't. He spotted her in the distance, in the field where they had made the cemetery, and she stood in front of the two oldest markers there with Judith in her arms.

They found Nick at the fences, stabbing walkers in the head, and when he saw them, he didn't seem surprised. Daryl didn't say anything. He just stood there with his crossbow and let Glenn do the talking.

"We'll let you get your stuff but you need to go," Glenn said.

Nick untied the apron he was wearing and dropped it on the ground along with the crowbar. "The council has spoken, huh?" He smirked a little.

Glenn didn't say anything and Daryl was still silent, both of them staring. Daryl didn't know what Nick was going to do. He knew the guy wasn't afraid to throw punches but he didn't know if Nick would throw any more right now in a bid to fight them off and stay here. Or maybe he knew that fighting them wasn't going to do any good. He was getting thrown out of here and he had no one to blame but his own crude stupidity.

He had a lingering thought of Merle and how his older brother would have fit in here. He probably would have gotten along great with Nick.

It went a lot smoother than Daryl was expecting. Nick got his few belongings and they walked him through the gate. Daryl could feel the eyes of others, watching the exile happening and he was almost glad that this was happening because they could all see. This prison had rules and if they wanted to stay here, they had to follow them. It's not like there were a ton but there were some and they were pretty obvious and self-explanatory. And now, there had been a new rule added to the list that everyone now knew and hopefully, learned quickly.

No one could say shit about Beth and expect to get away with it. Or about any woman here, Daryl quickly amended. Not just Beth. This time had been about Beth and no one was ever allowed to say anything about her. Everyone knew that now.

"You still think we should have killed him?" Glenn asked after they had closed and locked the gate again and watched Nick start walking down the road.

"Yeah," Daryl grunted.

Glenn sighed but didn't say anything for a moment. "Alright," he said softly after a moment of thinking it through.

Daryl looked at him in surprise. Glenn had toughened up since their Atlanta days. He and Daryl had had one another's backs for so long and Daryl trusted him completely but Glenn still tried so hard to hold onto what had once been Rick's rule. _We don't kill the living._ Of course, that rule didn't really matter anymore. The living was just as dangerous as the dead and a person couldn't be too careful nowadays.

And now, even though he had just agreed to killing a living man, Daryl could see Glenn not being completely comfortable with the idea of just shooting a bolt into his back. Daryl looked at him and then he thought of Beth and how she would probably frown at it, too, if she was ever to find out. And for some reason, thinking of making Beth frown, Daryl frowned, too, and let out a heavy sigh.

Girl was burrowing herself into his brain and mixing things up for him. When the hell had he let Beth Greene get so close to him? He still barely talked to her. They had kissed, sure, but it had been barely a kiss and he had already convinced himself that the girl was just cofused because she wasn't just a girl. She was a _kid_ and she had no business being in his head or influencing a damn thing he did or didn't do.

With a frown on his face, Daryl lifted the crossbow and aimed it through the fence and with one quick pull of his finger, the bolt sailed through the air and landed right into Nick's back.

…

"These are so pretty, Juju. Your mama will love them," Beth smiled at the baby and Judith smiled widely in return though she knew the baby didn't understand.

But it was alright because she would get older and she would understand someday. Beth brought Judith down to see Lori's grave at least twice a week and they laid any sort of flower they could find down against the cross and they did the same for T-Dog, too. There were other crosses in the small cemetery – mostly of the older people brought over from Woodbury but some belonged to those who had passed when the sickness hit the prison.

Today, they had found a few wild daisies growing near the side of the prison where Beth preferred to go where hardly anyone ever went, and she laid half of the small amount of flowers at Lori's and the other half at T-Dog's and she then stayed there, sitting on her knees on the ground in front of them, Judith sitting in front of her, playing in the grass, babbling to herself. Beth took a deep breath.

"It seems like we got through the first wave of teething but I know she has more coming in so we're not out of the woods yet," Beth began speaking. She liked to keep Lori up to date as to how Judith was doing. Lori sacrificed her very life to bring this baby into the world and Beth was going to do anything she had to do to make sure Judith was healthy and safe.

"She's starting to crawl, too. Kind of took me by surprise, too," Beth let out a soft laugh. "Just this afternoon actually. We were in the library…" _with Daryl_. "And I look and Ms. Judith here is taking a few wobbly crawls forward. It was amazing and I was so proud of her. I know you would have been proud of her, too. She's an early crawler according to the baby book and it's going to make things interesting because now, I can't take my eye off of her for a second. Daryl said if we need anything, he'll get it for us. I'm thinking of how we need to start baby proofing the cell block."

She was rambling but she couldn't help it. She wanted to keep talking because if she didn't, she would sit there and do nothing but think about Daryl and his warm and chapped lips and his hand on her cheek. If Judith hadn't interrupted them by choosing that very moment to begin to crawl, Beth wondered if they would still be in the library, chastely kissing.

He hadn't said anything about it – not that she expected him to. Daryl wasn't exactly known for being talkative. But it made her nervous to think that he would never talk about it and she knew that she probably shouldn't expect him to. And what did she even want him to say exactly? It was a mistake? It couldn't happen again?

That was probably exactly what he would say, too.

She wished she had someone she could talk to about this but she couldn't talk to Maggie. Maggie would probably blow the whole thing out of proportion and she was so protective of Beth, she would probably forbid Beth from going anywhere near Daryl anymore. And she couldn't talk to Carol because this was Daryl and weren't she and Daryl kind of together?

Just another reason why they couldn't kiss again. Beth was beginning to feel guilty just thinking of Carol now. She liked Daryl and had a crush on him but she had told herself that that was all it could be because of Daryl and Carol's relationship but then she had to go and kiss him and just make a big old mess out of everything and now, she didn't even have someone she could talk to about this.

There was no one her age at the prison and even if there was, she wouldn't feel comfortable enough with them to explain all of this to.

She let out a soft sigh. She missed Lori in so many different ways. She could have talked to Lori about all of this.

She wished she understood Carol and Daryl's relationship or even knew what they were. They seemed to be together. Carol was close to Daryl in a way none of them were and that obviously meant something. Had Beth just betrayed her friend by kissing Daryl earlier?

Beth sighed in annoyance with herself. It was the end of the world. No one had time for this kind of teenager love triangle crap. She wasn't going to be kissing Daryl again and that was that. And besides, she, herself, was too old for stuff like this. It's not like it meant anything anyway. She didn't care about the fluttering in her stomach she felt just from sitting there and thinking about it right now. About his soft lips or the light rough fingertips of his hand as he rested it on her cheek or how hard and firm his chest was as she had lightly placed a hand there to rest as she kissed him.

Judith let out a giggle then and Beth shook her head slightly, snapping herself to attention. She turned to look over her shoulder to see what had gotten Judith's usual response and Beth instantly felt a blush creep over her cheeks when she saw that Daryl had approached them when she had been deep in thought.

"Hi," she said, pushing herself to her feet, hoping she sounded normal.

"Hey," he grunted back. "Visitin'?" He then asked.

"Yes," Beth gave a small nod. "We come to see Lori and T-Dog a lot," she then confessed, as if it was something she had to hide herself while doing. "I like to keep them up to date."

Daryl didn't say anything to that. Just gave his head a nod and his eyes were settled on her in such a way, she felt like squirming. What was he thinking? What did he see what he looked at her? Did he want to kiss her again? Because if he did, Beth knew there wasn't a single part of her who wouldn't kiss him back.

"Nick's gone," Daryl suddenly broke the quickly growing awkward silence.

"Oh," Beth said, not too sure what else to say. "Thank you," she then added quietly.

Daryl shrugged. "Did it for everyone," he said and Beth felt an embarrassed rush of heat on the back of her neck.

 _You're not special_ , she told herself.

"Don't have to follow you around anymore," he said. "Got other things to do."

Beth wasn't sure why his words knocked her right in the chest because she knew they were the truth. Daryl was far more important to this prison than just being her bodyguard. He had a hundred jobs to do and she couldn't take up so much of his time. And she had always known that but knowing that he thought the same thing, she was sure why but…

It just hurt.

"You were probably bored out of your mind," she said and managed to give him a smile.

She looked down then and saw that Judith had crawled to the flowers she had placed on T-Dog's marker and was starting to pick one up to bring to her mouth. Beth quickly scooped Judith up and took a deep breath.

"I can't take my eyes off of you for a second," she smiled at the baby and then her eyes moved back towards Daryl, finding him staring at her. He was staring at her in a way that made her stomach flip; as if he had never seen her before. "I have to get her inside and lay her down for her nap."

Daryl nodded but didn't say anything and she hesitated for a moment, wishing he would but at the same time, completely terrified of what he _would_ say if he actually did speak, and she began stepping past him. She gasped though when she suddenly felt his hand on the small of her back. He quickly ripped his hand away and she turned to look up at him. The tips of his ears were red and his eyes were dropped away from her to the ground, his head bowed as if he was waiting for her to scold him.

Beth darted the tip of her tongue out and wet her very dry lips before reaching out. Her hand came to a rest on his chest and Daryl lifted his head, his eyes locking with hers.

"Will you walk me back?" She asked quietly, almost in a whisper.

He stared at her and she made sure to keep her eyes on nothing but him. "Yeah," he then answered in his low gravel voice that made shivers quake down her spine.

She gave him a small smile and turned, taking the first steps back up the hill towards the prison and Daryl was right there next to her, walking with her the whole way, neither of them speaking. He held the door open for her and Beth smiled up at him and his ears turned red again. He followed her to her cell where she kissed Judith on the head and placed her down in her pen. She rubbed the little girl's stomach and covered her with the blanket.

When Beth stood up again, she almost gasped because Daryl was standing right there and she hadn't known he was standing so close to her. He was everywhere. His smells of leather and smoke and dirt swirled into her nose and around her head and she felt so warm.

"Daryl," she whispered his name.

But then Daryl's hands were on her cheeks and his mouth was covering hers and she couldn't say anything else.

…

* * *

 **These two are going to try and keep arguing with themselves about this but obviously, that isn't going to matter.**

 **And we will find out what Nick said in due time.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	9. Sweet as Honey

**Wow. Just wow. What else can I say besides wow and thank you? THANK YOU so, so much for your response to this story. This chapter just flew out of me and I hope you like it.**

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 **Chapter Nine.** Sweet as Honey.

Daryl didn't know what the hell his mind was thinking. One half of his brain was telling him to rip his lips away from Beth's and get the hell out of her cell and never look at her again but the other half of his brain couldn't stand the idea of having his lips anywhere but on hers. His hands slid from her cheeks to tangle back in her hair and he felt her hands on his chest, her lips pressing just as eagerly – maybe even desperately – back against his, kissing him with as much as he kissed her.

Beth tasted like honey and he couldn't figure out why. He didn't think they had honey in the kitchen but maybe they did. Or maybe this was just Beth's natural taste. She sure didn't taste like any other girl he had kissed before. Not that he had a ton of girls in his past to compare Beth to. Not that there was even a comparison. Beth Greene was leaps ahead of any girl he had ever seen – before the apocalypse and after.

Merle had always shoved the same kind of girls towards him whether he was interested or not. And he usually wasn't. Fake hair and fake tits and way too much makeup and clothes that were way too tight and they always tasted of lipstick, smoke and cheap liquor. Nowhere near as sweet as something like honey. Those girls had always been dominant, too, and oozing with a confidence that had always made Daryl nervous. Not that he wanted some meek little thing but the way Beth was kissing him now, hungry and eager but also without bruising him and still being as gentle in a way he would expect from her, the whole thing was just so damn nice.

Maybe it wasn't a mystery why he wasn't pulling away from her.

He wondered what she thought of kissing him. He wondered what he tasted like and if this was just as nice for her. He figured it might have been or otherwise she would shove him away. But she had a hand on his chest and the other had crept up to the side of his neck and his hands dropped down to her waist. He couldn't stop from tugging her in closer and Beth moaned softly into his mouth as his tongue began tracing her bottom lip. It wasn't like he had to coax her though. It was almost as if Beth had been waiting for it because her mouth instantly opened against his and for a moment, he was shocked when he felt Beth's tongue against his but he quickly got over himself. He slid his arms fully around her waist, pulling her body completely against his, as his tongue began to slowly circle hers.

He hadn't felt like this in a long time but he felt like he was drinking too much. His head began to spin and his eyes were closed but he could imagine the world swaying from side to side. He was so tempted to lay down on her bottom bunk and pull her with him but even through the haze of his brain, he knew there was no way he could do that. He shouldn't be doing any of this. What if someone walked in right now and saw him kissing Beth Greene? What if someone saw his arms around her and his tongue in her mouth? Would he be the one to get kicked out of the prison next? He wouldn't fight it if that was the decision. This was _Beth_. Sweet and still so damn innocent in a way and he was older and the dirty redneck had no right to put his mouth or hands anywhere near her.

"Daryl," Beth whimpered against his lips and her hands were grasping his upper arms now, tilting her head slightly to the side, allowing him to kiss her deeper.

And he did. He dove his tongue into her mouth and covered her mouth with his and kissed her until his lungs were screaming at him that he still needed to breathe.

When he finally pulled his head back, it was only by mere centimeters, too, and he and Beth stood there, both breathing quickly, trying to gulp in much-needed air, their exhales of warm puffs felt on their faces.

Daryl stared at her and watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open. He wanted to tell her that she had the prettiest eyes he had ever seen but the words clumped in his throat and he was grateful for that. It was bad enough he had just kissed her like a starving man. He couldn't say things like that to her, too.

His arms fell from her and he managed to take a step back and he immediately felt a coolness against his front from where her body was no longer pressed to his. She still hadn't said anything and she was still staring at him. He swore swiftly to himself. He had probably scared the shit out of her – grabbing her and kissing her like he had.

He looked at her swollen lips and slightly mussed hair and he found himself running the tip of his tongue over his bottom lip, capturing the last remnants of her honey taste from them. He looked at her and she looked at him and she parted her lips, ready to speak. Daryl found himself holding his breath, wondering what she would say. He knew what he hoped she would but he didn't expected her to say anything like that. Ever. Beth Greene was too good to actually like kissing him. The first time in the library had been by her and she had clearly been experimenting. This second time had been all him and she had probably made up her mind that she didn't want to do it again.

"Beth! Beth!" There was a kid suddenly calling her name and the running of feet and then Mika burst into her cell with Molly right on her heels, both girls out of breath.

"Shhhh!" Beth stepped forward, a finger on her lips, and Daryl felt her body brush against his as she came to stand beside him. "Judith's sleeping. What's going on?" She asked quietly.

"Lizzie got in a fight," Mika said.

"What?" Beth exclaimed softly, both clearly surprised and confused. "With who?"

"One of the new kids. Henry," Molly answered. "He told her she was too crazy to play Hermione in the play."

"So she punched him in the nose," Mike quickly added.

Beth sighed heavily. "Are you kidding me?" She frowned at both girls. "We're not going to be having _any_ play if you kids are fighting over it."

"No!" Both Mike and Molly gasped in horror.

The sharp sound seemed to wake Judith up because the baby let out a cough and a slight cry and Beth immediately turned towards the pen, bending down and hoisting the baby up in her arms. Judith, still sleeping, rubbed at her face and rested her head on Beth's chest.

Daryl stood there, watching the scene, no one paying any attention to him. The kids pleading with Beth not to cancel the play and Judith being quiet and good in her arms. He didn't know how she did it. Being the mom to all of these kids and being so damn good at it when she was still a kid herself.

He almost winced at that. A kid whose mouth he had just shoved his tongue into.

No. Beth wasn't a kid. He looked at her as Mike and Molly talked over one another to tell Beth all of the details of the fight and she listened to them closely, clearly not pleased, and he wondered when she had become so damn pretty. She wasn't a kid. She was young but she was a woman. A pretty woman who tasted like honey.

"Where is she?" Beth asked and she sounded perturbed and tired and Daryl found himself following the two girls and Beth as they left the cell though he didn't know why.

He told himself that he was in charge of this place and any kind of fight – no matter who it was between and over what – was important for him to investigate himself.

Out in the yard, Carol and Lizzie were sitting at one of the tables, Carol with her arm around Lizzie's shoulders, the girl still looking absolutely furious, and Rick sat with the boy, Henry, at another table, Hershel helping the boy with his bloody nose.

Beth took a moment to look over the scene and Daryl found himself looking at her, wondering what she was going to do. He wondered what this place would do without her; who would be in charge of all of these kids. Sure, there was Carol, but Carol had her other jobs and this new Carol probably would have hated being in charge of all of these kids day in and day out. The other people at the prison, they all had other things to do and if they didn't have Beth, these kids wouldn't have their math lessons or story times or bug hunts or Red Rover games. With Beth here, taking care of them, they were able to be kids and he knew now – as did the others – that the kids being able to have that in this new world was one of the most important things. And they were able to have that because of Beth.

He wondered how he could have ever considered Beth to not be important to this place.

"Lizzie and Henry, come here right now," Beth said in a firm tone Daryl had never heard her use before. He looked at her and was slightly horrified with himself to discover that he found that tone to give him a tightening in his stomach as if it was turning him on.

He found himself scowling at himself. When had he turned into such a huge damn pervert?

The two kids came to her, Lizzie shooting glares at Henry and Henry, holding a bloody tissue to his nose, shooting glares at Lizzie in return. Beth looked to Rick and the man came as well. Beth handed him Judith to hold and the baby whimpered at being out of her arms.

"What happened?" She then asked, looking to Lizzie and Henry again.

All at once, the two kids began talking, wanting to tell their side of the story first, and Daryl felt as if his head was pounding by the end of it but Beth just stood there, and looked at them, and after a moment of consideration, she spoke.

"If another fight happens because of this play, a play we haven't even begun rehearsing for, there will be no play at all," Beth informed them and that snapped Lizzie and Henry's mouths shut. "And because of this fight, you two will not be able to audition for your parts. I'm going to assign you the parts you will play."

Lizzie gasped. "Beth-" she began to instantly argue but Mika elbowed her in her side to shut her up and make the punishment possibly worse.

"What parts?" Henry asked, sounding rather reluctant.

"Right now, I'm leaning towards Crabbe and Goyle," Beth replied and Lizzie gasped.

Daryl had no idea what that was but he assumed it wasn't the best characters in the book.

Beth looked to Lizzie. "Did you apologize?"

Lizzie instantly looked to Henry. "I'm sorry," she swiftly announced and then looked to Beth. "Now, can I play Hermione?"

"Mika, take Lizzie that way and Molly, you and Henry go that way," Beth pointed to opposite sides of the yard. "You two aren't allowed anywhere near each other for the rest of the day. Go."

The four kids didn't argue as they quickly hurried off in their assigned directions. Once they were gone, Beth turned to Daryl and Rick, still standing there, and Carol and Hershel had joined them as well. The furious den mother had all but evaporated from her and she gave them a smile as sweet as sugar – or honey. Almost shy in a way. Judith reached out for her, stretching her arms out, and Beth lifting her from Rick's arms back into her own. Rick didn't seem to mind. He actually looked a bit relieved. He was so damn uncomfortable around his own daughter most of the time.

"Damn impressive," Rick smiled at her and Beth's cheeks bloomed into a blush.

"It really was," Carol added, rubbing a hand on Beth's back.

"What play are they talking about?" Rick asked.

" _Harry Potter_. We're almost done with the first book and the kids asked if they could and I figured it would be a good idea. Just something fun to do. Except it's kind of started a war between the kids for parts. Luke and Lizzie have an argument on an almost daily basis," Beth explained and she seemed almost embarrassed with the attention she was getting, Rick, Hershel and Carol all looking at her and smiling.

Daryl looked at her. He couldn't help himself. He told himself not to with others standing there but a stronger breeze had begun blowing and a strand of her hair had swept across her face, catching on the corner of her mouth. Daryl found himself itching to pull it away for her but Beth did it – thankfully – before he could stupidly do it and he was quick to shove his hands in his pockets.

…

It had begun to rain and everyone ate dinner in their own cell blocks that night. Since no one else was allowed to live in cellblock C with them, it was just the original family that night and Beth admitted that she sometimes liked it when it was like that. Sometimes, she wished they could just have the prison to themselves again – like it was when they first got here but she felt silly and selfish for those thoughts and they never stayed in her mind long.

Glenn was telling them a story over their bowls of rice and green beans of an impromptu run he and Michonne had done that day which had resulted in a skunk and Michonne added that she had never seen him run that fast – even when there were walkers after them and they were all laughing and for a night, everything seemed almost normal; as if they were just any other family inside during a rainstorm and their home wasn't necessarily a prison and there weren't dead people clawing at the other side of the fences.

They all sat around the tables and she wasn't sure exactly how it happened but as she scooped mashed beans into Judith's mouth, Daryl had wound up sitting beside her with his own dinner. Maggie and Glenn were sitting across from them and Beth felt silly for imagining that it would be like this if the world hadn't ending. Maggie with her boyfriend and Beth with hers, the four going out to dinner on double dates with one another.

Beth almost snorted at the idea. Just imagining Daryl as her boyfriend was ridiculous to her. Not because she didn't _want_ Daryl in such a role. Just the word boyfriend didn't seem to fit him at all. But what else would she call him? Right now, she would call him nothing. They had kissed a couple of times – and they had been probably the best kisses in the history of every single kiss the world had ever had – but she didn't know what that meant. It wasn't like she and Daryl had had time to have some great conversation about it. And even if they did have the time, she wasn't going to hold her breath for it. Daryl would never initiate any sort of conversation and she didn't think she would be able to either. She had no problem with talking but about this? What did she even say?

She knew what she wanted. She didn't doubt that. She wanted him. Plain and simple. By kissing him, her crush had exploded and she knew there was no way it would diminish now. There was no way it would just fade away over time. Now that she had kissed him and been in his arms and felt his hard body against hers and felt his tongue in her mouth…

"Are you alright, Bethy?" Maggie asked.

"Hmmmm?" Beth lifted her eyes, hardly hearing her.

"You're flushed," Maggie was frowning. She leaned over the table and placed a hand to Beth's forehead. "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"No," Beth shook her head, her face flushing now as she realized that her thoughts had been getting carried away from her. "I'm alright. It's just a little warm in here tonight."

Maggie didn't look exactly convinced but Glenn said something then, taking her attention away. Beth glanced to Daryl to find that he was looking at her from the corner of his eye and she lowered her head, giving a small smile, trying to focus on feeding Judith her dinner.

Underneath the table, she felt something against her thigh and she grew still. She was probably imagining it but then she felt it again. She looked to Daryl but he seemed completely engrossed in his dinner, his head bent over the bowl as he ate, giving the occasional grunt to Glenn when he said something to him.

She felt her stomach flipping over and over again as she moved her leg over towards him, making sure no one could see it happening from beneath the table. She pressed her leg right up against and she looked at Daryl from the corner of his eye, wondering what he would do. For a moment, he didn't do anything. He kept eating and was looking at Glenn, talking about maybe giving the Big Spot another try, but then Daryl pressed his leg back against hers and Beth smiled to herself as her stomach clenched and she scooped more beans into Judith's mouth.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	10. In my Mind

**As always, thank you so much for the reads and reviews. I need to think of a different way to thank all of you for everything!**

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 **Chapter Ten.** In My Mind.

"Hey, Pookie."

Daryl was ripped from his thoughts and he lifted his eyes to see that Carol had entered the guard tower, a bowl of something steaming in her hand. For a moment, he looked at her as if he didn't understand but then he looked back through the window and realized that it was already dawn and he hadn't even noticed.

"Shift change?" He asked, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning against.

"Time flies," Carol smiled and held the bowl out for him to take.

Oatmeal, Daryl noted, as was their breakfast every other morning. "Tastes different," he noted as he sucked some off his fingers.

Carol nodded and tightened the sweater she was wearing to protect her against the morning chill in the air. "Glenn found it on that run he and Michonne went on. Honey."

Daryl didn't say anything to that but the oatmeal suddenly felt like paste in his throat and he struggled to swallow it down. Honey. No wonder it had tasted better than it did every other morning. Honey. Like Beth.

"What were you thinking about?" Carol then asked. "It's not like you to be so distracted."

"Don't even know," he responded with a shake of his head. "And I wasn' distracted," he then added with a frown but Carol just smiled.

And the truth was, he knew exactly what he had been thinking about. Or rather, _who_ he had been thinking about. The same person who had been crowding his thoughts for the past couple of days without giving him a break. Beth Greene. He couldn't even figure out where the hell she had come from because one day, she had been just Beth. Hershel's youngest daughter and Maggie's little sister and she had been a part of the group but Daryl hadn't spared much of a thought on her. And then, suddenly, she was right there and it was like Daryl was seeing her for the first time. And he couldn't figure out why.

Had it been because of Zach dying and going to her cell that night where she hugged him?

Is that how this whole thing started?

What the hell was this thing anyway? Maybe he was just feeling lonely – which was weird for him because he had no problem being on his own. Had always preferred it that way. He had his family and he would do anything for him but that didn't mean he needed a companion. He wasn't like Maggie or Glenn. Those two could barely breathe without one another and Daryl refused to get attached to anyone in a way like that in this new world. No one was safe and it hurt enough when Merle had went. He didn't want to go through that again. He refused to. He would die to keep his family safe and he would go back to forgetting that Beth even existed most of the time. He didn't need her fogging up his brain and forgetting that he was on duty when he should have been nothing but awake and alert.

He hadn't talked with her in a couple of days and before Carol had brought him breakfast, he had been thinking about her and when they could be alone together. Alone to do what? Kiss more? He definitely wanted to kiss her again but now that he was thinking about it again, he knew he couldn't. Kissing Beth again would only lead to complications and he sure as hell had enough of those without adding to them.

" _Bet that one's got a pussy as sweet as a Georgia peach. Think I might have to try it out myself. Should be easy enough to. Girl's always on her own."_

Nick's voice echoed in his mind and as he scooped up some more of the oatmeal, Daryl felt his jaw tighten. Daryl hadn't actually known if Nick would have tried to make a move on Beth, to try and get her when she was on her own and try _something_ , but Daryl sure as hell hadn't been willing to take any chances. They couldn't be too careful these days. It was known by everyone that the living was just as dangerous as the dead and though it hadn't set well with Glenn at the time, Glenn had understood. Nick, a bad guy, a potential rapist, couldn't just walk out of the prison. What if he tried to come back? They couldn't take any chances nowadays.

Maybe that was why Daryl had let himself get closer to her than he ever had before. It hadn't been Zach or the hug but it had been Nick and his threats and Beth was part of his family and Daryl wanted to keep her safe.

But Nick was dead and gone now and there was no reason to keep being around Beth.

Daryl frowned to himself. It was the only right thing to do but he found himself not really liking the idea of not being around her anymore. He barely knew anything about her but being around Beth was like being around a world he had never even known before it had all gone to shit.

"You should go inside. Get a bit of sleep," Carol suggested, breaking through his thoughts again. "I'm on morning shift."

Daryl nodded without argument and bringing the strap of his bow over his head and slinging it onto his back and taking his bowl of oatmeal, he left the tower and headed down the stairs. The prison was just starting to wake up. People heading down to the fences. Shift changes in the tower. Rick and Hershel heading towards their crops with Carl trailing behind. Carl saw him and gave him a wave and Daryl gave him a tilt of his chin in response.

He scraped the last of the oatmeal from the bowl and headed inside, dropping it into the bin collected for dirty dishes to be washed. Cellblock C was quiet except for Beth in her cell, talking with Judith as she changed and dressed the baby for the day. Daryl quickly passed her cell, hoping she didn't see him, and headed up the stairs to his cell on the second level.

He settled himself on his bed and adjusted his head on the pillow but he knew he wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon. Beth was singing now and he listed to her voice as it rose up, reaching his ears. He didn't know the song – he didn't know most of the ones he caught her singing – but that didn't mean he didn't like listening. He had always listened to her sing. The first time he ever heard her do it had been the night after they found this prison and they were camping out in the yard. They had been sitting around the fire and he had been walking back towards the group and he heard her and he hadn't been able to take his eyes off of her. His ears had never heard anything prettier.

He still hadn't.

He laid there and listened and he reminded himself that his decision to stay away from her was the best decision to make. What would they do? Be the next Glenn and Maggie, making everything they do everyone else's business? Hell, no. He hated that. He liked Glenn and Maggie but when they were together, they would sometimes get too distracted and caught up in one another and that was damn dangerous. Daryl couldn't afford to lose his head. Not even for a second. There were too many people here depending on him to keep them safe.

"Come on, Ms. Judy. Let's start our day and leave Daryl to try and get some sleep," he heard Beth say in her sweet voice as she walked out of the cell block and it was silent behind her.

Daryl let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding.

She had known he was there and now she knew that he was hiding from her. He tried not to but he felt a heavy feeling of guilt beginning to gnaw at his stomach and he closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath.

…

"Thanks for this, Beth," Rick said.

"Oh, it's not a problem," Beth smiled at him. "We all eat these vegetables so we all should help in making sure they grow. No, Luke," she then quickly stopped the boy beside her, placing her hands over his. "See this? This is a green bean but see this? See the five leaves to it and how much shorter it is? Definitely a weed. Pick that instead."

Luke nodded and pulled the weed she had directed him to. Beth supervised him for another moment before going back to pulling at her own weeds growing in the dirt around the other vegetable plants. The other kids were out there, too, all helping. There had been so much rain lately – not a bad thing – but it made the weeds sprout up more than ever and Beth had volunteered that they all help Rick and her daddy for the day. It'd be a good day's lesson in her opinion. If this prison was to remain sustained, they had to teach the younger ones how to keep it going.

"That one's quite attached to you," Rick said in a low voice from the other side of her.

Beth's eyes glanced over to Luke before back to Rick and she gave a nod. "His dad died a long time ago and him and his mom were in Woodbury. His mom died when… when Karen said the Governor lost it and started shooting all of them."

Rick nodded and didn't say anything and Beth couldn't help but look to Luke again. All of the children were attached to her. Even those who were lucky enough to still have their parents here with them. Beth supposed it was because she was a constant. Their parents were off every day, doing the millions of jobs that needed to be done but Beth was here with them, every day, teaching them and caring for them, and she supposed, in a way, she was like a sister or even an aunt. She was whatever the kids needed her to be; whatever this prison needed her to be.

After spending the morning in the gardens, she and the kids headed back up to the prison were Beth directed them all to wash their hands before helping with lunch.

She carried Judith into the kitchen and set the baby down in the high chair that had been snagged on a run a few weeks – months? – ago. She was the only one in the kitchen at the moment and she went into the pantry to try and decide what she should make for everyone. There was peanut butter and crackers and they had so many cans of tuna… Lunch was a light affair. She supposed she could wait until Carol arrived to help her.

"Hey."

She spun around and saw Daryl. Immediately, her heart began speeding up within her chest. She gave him a smile. He stood there, looking nervous and unsure, and she did her best to not look at his arm muscles exposed in his sleeveless flannel shirt.

"Hey," she smiled at him. "I thought you were avoiding me."

She said it in a teasing tone but absolutely meant it at the same time. She wasn't stupid. She had noticed how Daryl always kept his head down when around her to avoid eye contact with her over the past couple of days. She tried not to worry about it. She told herself that Daryl was just taking his time because he was unsure. She knew she felt a lot more confident in her knowledge of wanting him.

"Yeah," he grunted, not denying it. "Figured I should jus' come see you and tell you myself."

"Tell me what?" Beth wasn't sure why but suddenly, she felt nervous.

Her stomach began to clench and not in the way it usually did when around Daryl. She already knew that whatever it was he had to tell her, she wasn't going to like it. And what that realization, she knew exactly what he was going to say.

She took a deep breath and turned away from him, turning back to the shelves. Well, if he wanted to say it to her, he could just say it to her back. He didn't deserve her face right now. And there was no way she was going to allow herself to be upset in front of him. She told herself that she shouldn't even want to be upset. They had shared a couple of kisses and leg presses beneath a table. What did that equate to? Absolutely nothing. He had probably been just bored and she had been so lonely… it didn't have to mean anything. Even if the idea of it meaning something had made Beth happier in the past few days than anything she could remember. But it didn't matter. It was her fault for reading too much into it.

Daryl didn't say anything and she pretended to be so busy, reading over all of the labels on the cans of food. She wondered if he had just left, he was so quiet. She exhaled a breath and grabbed two boxes of saltine crackers. When she turned back around, she gasped sharply. Daryl stood right in front of her, his face blank but his eyes dark and intense, staring at her.

"What do you want, Daryl?" She asked, feeling tired and upset and angry all at once.

She didn't expect him to answer. But then he shook his head slightly.

"I don' even know anymore," he answered her in a low, quiet voice. "You're mixin' everythin' up and I…" he trailed off then, silencing himself as if he felt he had just said too much right then.

And he did because Beth's stomach slowly, cautiously, began to unknot itself. She still held the two boxes of crackers and she wished she had her hands free because she wanted to touch his face right then but she couldn't. So, instead, she bravely pushed herself on her toes and pressed her lips to Daryl's.

He didn't push her away like she was almost expecting him to. Instead, he kissed her in return instantly, pushing her back so her back was pressed against the shelf and his hands were on her face, cupping either side of her head, and his mouth moved hungrily against hers. She eagerly kissed him in return, feeling her head swirl as she tasted him – smoke and that morning's oatmeal and she was the first to push her tongue into his mouth this time.

"Excuse me."

Both froze. Daryl's lips stilled against hers and Beth snapped her eyes open. At the same time, they both snapped their eyes over to see who had just caught them. It was Carol. She stood there in the entry of the pantry, looking at them with confusion, surprise and… amusement? Beth's eyebrows furrowed. Why wasn't she furious or hurt? Oh god, she had been kissing Daryl even though she knew he was with Carol. What the hell was the matter with her? And what the hell was the matter with Daryl? He was the attached one. Not her.

Daryl pushed himself off of her and took a few steps back. He mumbled something then but Beth had no idea if it was actually words. And then he high-tailed it out of the kitchen, leaving her to deal with Carol on her own.

Beth almost threw a box of crackers after him.

Carol looked at her for a moment and Beth felt a flush creep up her face.

"Carol-" she started to say but she had absolutely no idea what to say.

"What were you thinking for lunch?" Carol asked. "Those with tuna?" She asked and moved past Beth to start taking cans of tuna down from the shelf.

Beth looked to Carl. Why wasn't the woman yelling or saying something about what she had just walked into? Daryl pressing her against the pantry shelves and kissing the air from her lungs? It wasn't like that was something that happened every day.

"I'm so sorry, Carol," Beth blurted out quickly. "Me and Daryl…" she began to say but how on earth could she finish that sentence? Me and Daryl are what? Kissing behind your back? That was already pretty obvious.

Carol just gave her a small smile. "It's none of my business, Beth." With that, she then went to one of the kitchen counters and pulled the can opener from the drawer.

"It's not?" Her brow furrowed at that and she came up beside her, placing the boxes of crackers done. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Carol must have been reading her mind because she laughed then – short and as if she knew a joke that Beth didn't understand. "Beth," she turned towards her. "Daryl is free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants. It's not like we're together."

Beth just blinked at her. They weren't? Carol and Daryl weren't… something? She looked at Carol and the longer she looked at her, the happier she began to feel. Daryl and Carol weren't together. Daryl wasn't with anyone. She wasn't the girl helping a man cheat on his significant other. There was no reason to feel guilty or like what they were doing was wrong. She had every right to kiss Daryl Dixon and he had every freedom to kiss her.

"Okay," Beth said because she had no idea what else to say and she couldn't stop herself from smiling as she began helping Carol prepare lunch for everyone.

"I will say one thing though," Carol broke the comfortable silence between them after a few minutes. Beth turned her head to look at her. "Daryl is a very private person. You already know that. Whatever it is you're two doing, make sure that no one else finds out about it."

"Keep it a secret?" Beth didn't know how she felt about that. It didn't sound right to her. She shook her head. "But it's not like we're doing anything wrong."

"Of course not," Carol was quick to say. "It's just, I'm sure Daryl doesn't want everyone to know about you two because I know Daryl and Daryl probably thinks that what you two are doing is very wrong. Or else, he wouldn't have run away just now like he did."

Carol went back to lunch preparations but Beth stood beside her, unable to help again, Carol's words rolling around in her head. She didn't feel like smiling anymore.

…

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 ***Just a quick note. I'm not going to be pitting these two women against each other. It's stupid and I hate when they are and these two women are their own characters without needing a man to give them a storyline. I won't be doing that in this story.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	11. Little Woman

**As always, no updates on the weekend so I hope everyone has a good Saturday and Sunday and I'll see you on Monday!**

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 **Chapter Eleven.** Little Woman.

Beth took a deep breath as she neared the cell. She knew he was inside. He had gone in there after dinner and she imagined him to be reading, resting his tired bones for the night. She looked to Judith in her arms, the baby gnawing on the trunk of her stuffed elephant as it had become her favorite pastime and Beth gave her a small smile as Judith looked at her. With another deep breath, preparing herself, she lifted her head and knocked on the bars of the cell.

"Come in," he answered from the other side of the bed sheet and Beth stepped inside.

Hershel lifted his eyes from the bible he was reading by candlelight and he instantly smiled upon seeing his youngest daughter. "Beth," he said her name as he closed the book and set it aside. He was sitting on his bed and he pat the spot beside him.

Beth smiled at him in return and sat down in the spot he offered. Hershel reached over and playfully rubbed the bridge of Judith's nose and the baby giggled before going back to slobbering all over the elephant. Beth took a moment to collect herself and she felt her daddy looking at her. She wasn't entirely sure how to start the conversation now that she was here though. She had been wanting to do this for the past few days and in her head, it had all seemed so easy but now, actually being here, she admitted she felt rather lost.

Hershel waited for a moment and then gave a little chuckle. "Is everything alright?"

"Of course," she nodded rapidly and gave him a smile to show that it was. She then exhaled a soft sigh. "I've just been wanting to talk to you and I really don't know how to say this."

That made Hershel's smile drop a fraction. "You can talk to me about anything, Bethy."

"I know, daddy," she was quick to assure him. "I'm just trying to think of how I can say this without being immediately told no."

Hershel's interest only grew as he looked at her and waited for her to speak again. He wondered what it could be about. Perhaps something had happened between her and Daryl and she was trying to think of a way to tell him.

He had been thinking of her daughter and the older huntsman over the past few days – ever since he saw, for the first time but certainly not the last, Daryl staring at Beth from the guard tower. Since then, he had developed the habit of observing the two. Especially Daryl. And that man may have kept his face blank most of the time but he wasn't able to hide his eyes from watching her. It seemed as if no matter where Beth was, Daryl's eyes were trained on her. He could be doing a million other things – and with Daryl, he usually was – but his eyes always seemed to find her.

Hershel had expected himself to have a problem with it. Daryl, after all, was older by Beth by a few years but he knew he couldn't exactly judge that. He, himself, had been older than both of his wives by quite a few years and especially now, in this day and age, what did age have to do with anything? But he knew that it probably would to others and all Hershel could say was Beth was over eighteen now and technically an adult and could be with whomever she chose. He would make sure she knew he didn't have an issue with the age.

He also didn't have an issue with Daryl as a man. Yes, the man had been wild and angry in the days on the farm when they had first all met one another. The man had had a short fuse, ready to snap and attack at a moment's notice. But he had changed. They all had. After the fall of the farm and the winter they spent, all together, running and trying to survive, Daryl had stepped up to become Rick's second-hand man. And in stepping up, he seemed to become not just a man but a leader in his own right.

And now, with Rick having stepped down for the time being, Daryl had stepped up and he was doing a pretty damn good job of running this prison, in Hershel's opinion. If something happened between him and Beth, Hershel knew that the man would respect his daughter and treat her well and keep her safe. Hershel couldn't ask for more than that.

He would tell Beth all of these things if Beth had come to speak to him about her and Daryl; if something had happened and Beth had come to Hershel to tell him.

Hershel remained waiting patiently.

"I heard Glenn and Daryl talking at dinner the other night. They were talking about maybe going back to the Big Spot. Working on clearing the walkers out again," Beth said. "When it is clear again, I wanted to talk with you about going with them."

It wasn't at all what Hershel was expecting her to say and Beth took his silence for refusal. She was quick to press on.

"I need to go, daddy. I'm the only one here who doesn't kill walkers. They won't let me on fence duty because something might happen and who will take care of Judith then? And I'm definitely not allowed on runs because it's too dangerous. But daddy, I can't _not_ be prepared in this world. I know how to kill walkers. I survived the winter just like all of you did. I'm not helpless or dead weight or useless-"

"Did someone say you were?" Hershel finally spoke, interrupting with a frown.

He would find the person who called his daughter useless and slap them. Beth was one of the most important people in this prison and he wasn't saying that as a father defending his daughter. He was saying it because it was the damn truth.

Beth shook her head, not wanting to talk anymore about that. "Judith needs things and I should be the one who gets them for her. I know exactly what she needs and it would be easier if I just got them myself instead of relying on someone else for them. And I need to be out there. I need to know I can defend myself and take care of myself outside of the fences."

She felt the palms of her hands begin to sweat and her stomach knotted nervously as she looked at him but she hoped her dad wasn't able to see all of that. She was trying to carry herself off as calm and determined. Not scared and nervous. Scared and nervous would not help convince anyone that she was capable of being outside the fences.

Hershel didn't say anything. He just looked at Beth almost as if he was studying her. She wasn't a little girl anymore. He had known that for some time. Maybe since she had taken a broken mirror to her wrist. She had certainly grown up then and he had had his eyes opened to that fact. She was a young woman – strong and capable and he knew that not even she realized those things about herself.

But even though she _was_ an adult now, Hershel couldn't help but still look to her as his little girl. She always would be – no matter how old she was. She looked just like her mom. Where Maggie was like her mom – fierce and brave – Beth was just like her own mom – quiet and gentle but all women had had a quiet fire burning throughout their veins.

"Come with me," Hershel finally said.

Beth watched as he took his prosthetic leg, strapping it back on, and he stood up. Beth had no idea where he would be going but she stood up, hoisting Judith up in her arms, and following him without question. He first stopped at Rick's cell where the man was, reading some book by his own candlelight. He signaled to Rick to follow him and like Beth, Rick didn't question the older man. Beth realized that no one ever really questioned Hershel.

"Where's Daryl?" Hershel asked.

"Guard tower three," Rick answered and Hershel nodded.

He led the way outside and Rick looked to Beth curiously but she just shrugged. She didn't know what he was doing but both she and Rick followed him outside without protest.

"Daryl!" Hershel called up once they had reached tower three.

A moment later, Daryl came out onto the landing and looked down, seeing the three of them looking up at him. Without a word, he grabbed his crossbow and disappeared, moments later, coming through the door at the bottom of the stairs and joining them.

"What's goin' on?" He asked, his lips turned down in a frown.

Beth did her best not to look at him. She hadn't looked at him since the kitchen and Carol had caught them kissing. She was still thinking over what Carol had said to her. Beth knew that Daryl was a private person. Even after all of his time together, hardly anyone knew a thing about him and he obviously preferred it that way. But she couldn't stop thinking of the other thing Carol had said. About Daryl probably thinking that kissing her was all wrong. She didn't think it was wrong. It certainly didn't feel wrong. But if that was what he felt when he kissed her, she couldn't think of a way to change his mind.

If he thought that kissing her was the worst thing he could do, she just wouldn't put herself near him anymore because anytime they were near, it seemed like they wound up doing was kissing or touching and she didn't want to be with someone who would just feel guilty over the whole thing.

She wanted to be with someone who would be happy to be with her.

"The Big Spot," Hershel responded. "What's going on with that?"

Daryl looked at him for a moment, brow furrowed, probably wondering how he had heard of the idea since only he and Glenn had just begun talking about it again. He then shrugged.

"Helicopter crashed through. Probably destroyed a lot of stuff but not all of it. Glenn and I were talkin' 'bout headin' back there to look over the damage. That place was a goldmine."

Hershel nodded as he listened and was quiet as he thought it over. Judith suddenly dropped the elephant to the ground and Rick was quick to immediately bend down, picking it up again and handing it to her with a small smile. Judith gurgled and went back to gnawing on the elephant's trunk.

"When you do go back, I want you to take Beth with you," Hershel informed him.

"No way," Rick shook his head. "Hershel, it's too dangerous."

Daryl only frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion.

And Beth smiled, sighing with relief.

"The way the world is now, I can't expect one of my daughters to be out there all of the time while keeping my other daughter in here like she's some captive princess. I hate that it is but this world isn't for princesses anymore. Beth needs to know how to take care of herself. And Judith needs things," Hershel then added for good measure.

"Beth's been givin' me lists of things for her," Daryl grunted.

Beth could feel him glancing towards her but Beth kept her eyes set on her dad.

"When you go to the Big Spot, Beth's going with you. I didn't bring you all out here for a debate. I'm just informing you that this is what's going to happen," Hershel said and all Beth wanted to do in that moment was throw her arms around him in thanks.

"Hershel," Rick began to say. "You can't send Beth out there."

Hershel gave Beth a wink and a smile and she beamed in return. He turned to head back inside and Rick turned to walk beside him, arguing his points the whole way. Beth knew why Rick wouldn't want her to go outside. If something happened to her, Judith wouldn't have a caretaker and then what would they do?

Without realizing it, she was suddenly alone with Daryl. She finally turned her head to look at him and found that Daryl was already staring at her. Even in the semi-darkness, she could feel his eyes on her and as they always did, it gave her an almost violent shiver down her spine as if it was cold even though it was a sticky night. It smelled like more rain.

She looked at Daryl and she knew he wasn't going to say anything and she didn't know why she was waiting for him to. She didn't even know what she wanted him to say because for some reason, things between them just couldn't be easy. They couldn't seem to just be two people who met one another and fell for one another and that was that. They certainly weren't Glenn and Maggie. Glenn had definitely never been ashamed to be caught with Maggie and all Beth could think of was the way Daryl had practically run from the kitchen that afternoon when someone had found them kissing.

"Come on, Judith," she bounced the girl in her arms. "Time for your bath."

She turned back towards the prison and hadn't even taken one step before Daryl spoke.

"Beth," he said her name in that gruff way of his that might have sounded rough to others but to Beth, it always gave her goose bumps down her arms.

She stopped but she didn't turn back towards him.

"When you come out there with us, I don't wan' you out of my sight," he said and it wasn't at all what she had wanted him to say but she hadn't been expecting something else.

She nodded her head without argument. "I know."

She actually had already planned on that before even talking to her daddy about it. No matter what was happening between her and Daryl – or not happening for that matter – she knew that he would keep an eye on her and look after her. She could just imagine the guilt he would have if she went on a run with him and something happened to her.

"You don't have to go, you know," he said quickly. "I'll bring back anythin' you need."

"I know," she said again and she debated whether or not she should walk away but in the end, she decided to turn and face him. "But it's important to me that I go out there, Daryl," she then told him. "I can't spend the rest of my life inside of a fence. What if something happens and I _have_ to be out there? I can't rely on someone else to take care of me."

"I'd take care of you, Beth," he said in such a quiet voice, she almost didn't hear him. His eyes were cast down to the ground as if he was too shy or embarrassed to be looking at her right then and she found herself taking another step towards him.

"I can't rely on you, or anyone, to keep me safe," Beth told him with a shake of her head. "It's up to me to take care of myself. And Judith, too."

Daryl lifted his eyes and looked at her then. She saw him visibly swallow and he shook his head slightly.

"Don't know what I'd do if anythin' happened to you," he said.

She almost found herself sucking in a gasp at his confession and she felt those moths in her stomach again, fluttering madly in a thousand directions, and it was her turn to swallow. She didn't know what to say to that. How was she supposed to react? What did he want? What did _she_ want?

"You seemed alright in letting me fend for myself this afternoon with Carol," she said before she could stop herself and it was the wrong thing to say but she couldn't help herself.

It was the truth though and it had been on her mind and he couldn't say sweet things like that to her when he knew no one else was around who could possibly hear. If he wanted to kiss her and have anything with her, it couldn't be just like this.

She didn't want it to only be in the dark as if they were doing something wrong.

"What do you wan' me to do?" Daryl asked and he sounded agitated now. Apparently, her comment had also wiped away his bashfulness. "Announce it to everyone that I'm shovin' my tongue down the throat of the little prison babysitter?"

Beth felt her spine instantly stiffen and Daryl's anger seemed to disappear as quickly as it had formed. He now looked ashen; regretful. Beth didn't care.

The little prison babysitter.

Yep. That's all she was. And how dare she for letting herself forget that for even a moment.

Without another word to him or even another look, Beth turned on her heel and headed to go back inside, her heart pounding so loudly, it roared in her ears. Daryl didn't call after her and she didn't expect him to. But she still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he didn't say anything at all to stop her.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	12. Forget (Me)

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews for the last chapter. I loved reading every single one.**

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…

 **Chapter Twelve.** Forget (Me)

Daryl didn't expect to miss her as much as he did because why would he miss her? He had never had her to begin with so why the hell would he miss her? They had just kissed a few times and had exchanged a few secret touches and smiles. It wasn't anything to miss. It had just been brief; lingering. Like every other damn thing in this new world. Nothing lasted and Daryl didn't know why he was so surprised about any of it.

It had been four days and Beth wasn't just ignoring him. To ignore a person, you had to be aware of their existence. Beth was acting as a person who didn't even know he was alive. When they were all in the cell block, her eyes swept right over him as if he wasn't there; as if he was a ghost, invisible to her. And he found himself wishing that her eyes would just land on him once. Just one time so he knew that he still existed to her.

But it never happened and he knew he had no one to blame but himself for it.

Four days later and he couldn't stop hearing the words he had said to her, what he had called her, repeating over and over again like a skipping record in his head, driving him insane. Little prison babysitter. He had regretted it the instant the words left his mouth but he was a Dixon. Fucking up was something that came with the name. And the times before, he was usually able to move on – the prick of guilt sharp and hot on the back of his neck but he was always able to move on from what he had said or done.

Little prison babysitter. There was no escaping that though. No moving on and thinking of the next thing. There was only that and the hurt in Beth's eyes before it was replaced with anger. It was as if her heart had broken and she had been set on fire all at once. It had stunned him. Not the fire part. Of course she would have been furious at him for that remark and he would be angry at her if she hadn't been angry at him. But it was hurt mixed in with that. The complete devastation in her eyes. He had broken something inside of her in that moment, with those words, that he hadn't even known he had had in the first place.

And now, four days later, there was nothing there. No looks, no smiles before they quickly turned their heads away before someone saw, and definitely no kisses or faint touches. He had barely had her and now, it felt as if she was the only thing he wanted. Now, four days later, he didn't exist to her. She had come so suddenly into his life only to be gone again just as suddenly and he knew he had no one to blame but himself; never even imagined blaming anyone else but he thought about it and there was not only hate but anger, as well, directed towards himself.

Anger for letting this girl get so close to him after just a short amount of time. He didn't know how it had happened but somehow, Beth had slipped inside when no one else – not even Rick or Carol – had managed to achieve the same thing. But once there, she was still there even if he no longer existed to her. And with her gone, no matter how long she had been around, he felt an ache deep in his gut that he didn't know how to get rid of.

It was raining again and Daryl sat on the metal steps that led up to the second floor landing, eating the rice and corn Carol had made for dinner and he looked at Beth sitting at the table with Judith in her lap. For once, he didn't care about someone seeing his eyes set so intently on her. She was talking animatedly with Maggie, who was laughing at whatever her younger sister was saying. Daryl couldn't hear what she was saying with everyone else having their own conversations but he found himself watching her lips as if he could read them. He wondered what everyone would do if he just got up right now and sat down at the table with her. He wondered what she would do.

She wore jeans and socks that day, tucked into her cowboy boots as always and a purple and black checkered flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was up, pulled from her face, styled in some complicated braid that went around her head like a crown. Daryl's eyes dipped down from her lips to the exposed expanse of her neck.

That girl was the damn prettiest thing he had ever seen and just four days ago, his lips had been on hers. He had tasted her and made her moan softly as her hands rested on his chest and he chewed a little harder now on his mouthful of food as he thought about it. It was almost amazing to him how quickly he was able to fuck it all up before it could even begin.

Beth said something then and laughed as she stood up, hoisting Judith in her arms. Daryl's eyes followed her as she left the table and headed into her cell. He swallowed the mouthful of food he couldn't even taste but it left his tongue feeling dry and his throat thick. The last thing he wanted to do was eat but he shoveled more food into his mouth because he didn't know what else to do. He knew what he _wanted_ to do but there was no way he could just get up and walk into Beth's cell and talk with her. Everyone would see him do it and what would he do once he was in the cell? He didn't want to stand there as Beth looked right through him and that was exactly what she would do.

He finished his dinner without even realizing it and he finally stood up, coming down the stairs to take his bowl back towards the kitchen. He didn't have to go all the way to the kitchen. They had a bin there and Carl would take it down to the kitchen later as one of his chores but right now, Daryl just had to get out of the cell block.

"Oh!"

As he walked past Beth's cell to leave the block, she was walking out and had slammed right into him. The force of her small body impacting against his larger, harder body sent her stumbling back in surprise and Daryl's natural reaction was to reach out and grab hold of her arm to steady her. Her skin was cool and soft and he subconsciously tightened his fingers around it just a bit more so he could prolong the feel of it. She looked up at him but then quickly looked away again when she saw that it was him.

"Sorry," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes, and she pulled her arm from his grasp.

"'m sorry. Wasn' payin' attention," he said, mumbling a little, too, his eyes set on her.

Before he could say anything else, she slipped away from him and returned to the table where Maggie was sitting at. Daryl peeked a look into her cell and saw Judith dozing off, almost fully asleep in her pen. Beth had changed her into the onesie he noticed the baby usually slept in and Beth had covered her with the fleece blanket they had found for her on that very first run he and Maggie had done when lil' asskicker had just been born. Beth had a small lamp turned on that set on her desk creating a warm soft glow in the small cell.

Daryl wasn't sure why he was lingering there. He had no business standing here at her cell. He looked at the floral comforter on her bed with the walls covered in kids' drawings and her journal on her desk and the garden gnome on the table beside her bed that Glenn had got for her as a joke on a random run a while back.

He thought of his own cell above on the second level. Just a couple extra articles of clothes, extra bolts for this crossbow, a pillow and a blanket. That was it. Nothing personal. He never got anything for himself on runs except maybe some more socks and underwear. Just thinking of his cell and looking into Beth's, he couldn't see a damn thing they had in common and it only became a bigger mystery to him as to why Beth had showed any interest in him in the first place.

Not that he ever had to worry about that interest again. He had made sure of that and he tried to remind himself that that was what he wanted. He didn't have time for Beth Greene and her smiles and light touches and kisses that warmed him from the inside out. He had to worry about the fences and getting enough food and winter was coming soon and he had to make sure every single damn person in this prison stayed alive. He thought of Rick and how the death of Lori had basically driven him to the brink of insanity and he knew that Glenn and Maggie would be the same. Daryl refused to let himself lose his mind like that. He refused to allow himself get close enough to anyone to make himself go crazy.

And isn't that what Beth already did to him? He even told her that. She mixed everything up and he didn't like it because he didn't know what to do about it. So, he did what he had always done. He lashed out and pushed her away and made sure she stayed away. But now, he stood there, staring into her cell, and all he wanted to do was go inside, sit down on her bed and wait for her to come back.

He didn't know how long he stood there. He lost all sense of time and everything around him – and that was the most dangerous thing about it all. Beth made him forget and that was damn dangerous and careless and he couldn't afford that to happen. Too many people were relying on him for him to forget _anything_.

"Mel Gibson, _Braveheart_ ," Daryl heard Maggie say and Beth burst into laughter.

"You are so strange," Beth teased her.

"Let me guess. Christopher Plummer," Maggie said, laughter in her voice.

Beth laughed, too. "How can you watch _Sound of Music_ and not be attracted to him?"

"Very easily," Maggie said, joining in with her own laughter.

"What are you two doing?" Glenn asked, joining them at the table.

"Movie crushes," Beth explained.

"Yeah, Glenn," Maggie teased her husband. "Who's your movie guy crush?"

"Michael Keaton, _Mr. Mom_ ," Glenn answered and both girls looked at him for a moment before dissolving into giggles. "What?" He smiled. "I know what I like." That only had them giggle more and Daryl tried to ignore them as he walked past them with his dirty bowl.

He didn't want to think of Beth's giggle and the way it tickled down his spine like someone was brushing a feather lightly across his skin.

He kept his eyes cast away from them and headed towards the door that led from the block.

"Daryl!" Glenn called out his name.

Damn it, Daryl growled to himself. He told himself to keep walking and just ignore them all but his brain and feet seemed to be ignoring one another because he turned around and his eyes fell right on Beth but he wasn't surprised to find that her own eyes weren't set on him. Instead, she seemed to find the table suddenly quite interesting. Even the smile on her face was gone now and it seemed as if she had somehow folded into herself. Daryl suddenly felt his stomach churning as if he was going to be sick. That whole demeanor was too damn familiar to Daryl the instant he saw it.

His mom used to fold into herself whenever his old man was around.

"Who's your movie guy crush?" Glenn asked him.

Daryl quickly looked away. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. "Jake Ryan," he grunted as he walked out as quickly as he could without actually running. He didn't want to look at Beth as he answered _Sixteen Candles_. He didn't want to look at her at all. He looked at her and saw his mom and he knew that if he was to catch his reflection in that moment, he would see nothing but his old man.

…

Beth was usually one of the first ones up in the prison except for those who had the night shift in the guard towers. Most mornings, Judith woke her up but some mornings, Beth's internal clock woke her up before dawn and she listened to the quietness of the world around her. For a few minutes, she laid there and could forget that outside her cell, the world was gone. For a few minutes, she laid there and could almost pretend she was back in her old bedroom at the farm and she would get up and go downstairs and her mama would be there, maybe making pancakes, and daddy and Shawn would be outside in the barn already and it would be a beautiful fall day.

But it only lasted for a few minutes because Beth never allowed herself to completely forget how the world was now. It was too dangerous to completely forget. The only time she had been able to forget almost everything was when she was with Daryl. Daryl. Touching Daryl and kissing Daryl and feeling his warm breath on her face and his tongue in her mouth.

Daryl. But she couldn't think of Daryl either because when she did, the pain in her chest became too much and she almost felt like gasping for air as if she couldn't breathe. She tried to tell herself that she didn't understand why he had hurt her so much. He had said something so cruel to her. _Little prison babysitter_. As if he had been able to peek into her mind and read her thoughts and exactly what she thought of herself. He had looked at her right in the eye and let her know just how useless she truly was; how unimportant she was to all of their survival in this place; how unimportant she was to _him_.

She couldn't help but be hurt – not just by his words but by him because she never would have thought that of everyone in the prison, Daryl would be the one to hurt her so deeply. And with such pain, she knew that she cared for him. More deeply than she would have ever thought or expected.

And for a few brief moments, she had thought that maybe he had cared for her, too.

Beth made sure Judith was still asleep as she hurried to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When she was done, she hurried back to her cell, relieved to find that Judith hadn't woken during her brief absence. Beth was able to take a few minutes longer getting ready, pulling on a pair of underwear she had scrubbed yesterday and her one of the two bars she owned. She then tugged on her blue jeans and long socks that went up her calves and her cowboy boots and she wore the same purple plaid shirt she had been wearing the day before, it still clean enough.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and combed out her damp hair and then using the small mirror she had, she braided it and pinned it up around her head so it could be off of her neck for the day. Just as she was finishing, Judith woke, cracking awake with a sharp cry and Beth was quick to lift her up in her arms. She kissed her on the cheek and then laid her out on the blanket she already had spread out on the floor. She changed her diaper and changed her into a fresh onesie for the day.

After she fed Judith a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and ate one for herself, Beth took the soiled diaper and swung Judith up in her arms and headed outside. The sun was just beginning to peak now, the sky turning shades of orange and pink, and Beth walked along to the side of the still quiet prison where the dumpsters were kept. Those on trash duty took the trash out every week and burned it down to nothing but piles of ash in a spot away from the prison so even more walkers wouldn't be attracted here. Beth tossed the diaper in now and then headed to the other side of the prison – to hers and Judith's quiet spot.

"I'm heading to the Big Spot in a couple of days and I've been working on a list of things to get you," Beth said to her as she began walking them down the slight slope towards the fences. "I hope I can get everything. I want to be able to get you everything you need."

Judith snuggled contently against Beth's chest and Beth smiled, holding her close.

From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure approaching and she knew who it was before she could even see them clearly. She felt a stiffening in her spine and she looked around though she knew there was no way she could escape. No. No, she wouldn't do that. Even if she could, she wouldn't. Daryl Dixon was not going to make her run away.

She turned to face him as he walked straight for her. She couldn't imagine what he wanted to say to her. He had certainly said enough already and the closer he got, she swore that he almost looked nervous – which was completely insane, she knew, and was just in her imagination because there was no reason for him to be nervous – especially around her. She was just the little prison babysitter.

She noticed he was holding a bowl in his hand and he stopped a few feet away from her. He stared at her for a moment and she stared at him and didn't say a word. She was not going to be speaking to him. She didn't know if she would ever want to speak to him again unless it was absolutely necessary.

Had she truly been that stupid and naïve in thinking that not only were they friends but actually becoming something more?

"Brought you some oatmeal," Daryl then said in his low, gruff voice that could always make her shiver as it raked across her skin but right now, it just made her spine stiffen more as she refused to allow herself to have any sort of reaction to it. "Didn' know if you've eaten."

"I've already eaten," she answered stiffly.

She didn't look at him again as she turned and began heading up the slope back up towards the prison. She told herself that she didn't care if she came across as rude or hurt his feelings. He had crushed her inside so why should she care if she hurt him in return?

She told herself to not look over her shoulder back at him. She told herself to just keep walking. She told herself to not even think about him. She had other things to think about. She was going on her first run in a couple of days and that should be her only thought right now and definitely not Daryl Dixon.

…

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 **Big Spot run in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	13. It's What We Do

**This chapter is probably horribly predictable but it had to be written for the story. I hope you like it.**

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…

 **Chapter Thirteen.** It's What We Do.

Maggie wasn't on the run team but as soon as it was known that Beth would be going on the next run, she had been trying to go, too, bringing it up to Glenn every few minutes, it seemed. But none of them budged and gave into her and Hershel reminded her gently that they all had jobs to do and hers was back here at the prison, keeping guard. Besides, going back to the Big Spot was going to be a small group. Just Daryl, Sasha, Glenn and Beth. They were taking the pickup truck and another car – two in each vehicle so there would be plenty of room for everything they found.

Daryl watched as Maggie hugged Beth the morning they were leaving and looking reluctant to let go. Beth hugged her back for a few long minutes and then a laugh escaped her.

"Maggie," Beth smiled at her, managing to pull back. "I'll be back later today. I promise."

Maggie didn't smile though. She just shook her head. "You can't promise that, Bethy, so don't. You just be careful out there and stick close to Daryl."

He watched Beth as reacted to Maggie's words. He expected her to immediately refuse and tell her that she would be sticking with Glenn but instead, Beth nodded her head slowly.

"I'm not going to let him out of my sight," she swore solemnly to her sister and Daryl looked down to the ground, taking one last drag of his cigarette before dropping it and stubbing the butt out with his boot.

He was relieved to hear that Beth was going to be sticking by him because he already knew that there was no way he was going to let her step even a foot away from him out there. He and Hershel had already had a talk. Hershel wanted Beth to go on this run. He thought it was important for her and Daryl had reluctantly agreed with him. They couldn't expect Beth to stay within the prison fences for the rest of her life. She had lived through that winter just like the rest of them and she had known how to defend herself. In this world, a person had to keep those skills honed and not let them get rusty. Beth was too important to this prison to just let her go without being able to defend herself.

Too important.

Yeah, Daryl. You sure made sure she felt like that, he thought bitterly to himself. Called her a little prison babysitter when she was so much more. So much more to _him_ and he didn't even know what she was to him but he could feel that it was something that could have been something he had never felt or had before but he had messed it all up and now, she was pretty much all but gone from his life.

"And you'll take care of Judith?" Beth asked as Carol came to her, the baby in her arms, and Beth took her into her arms, hugging her close.

"Of course we will, Beth," Carol smiled. "It might be good for you two to have an afternoon apart. Even moms need a break from their children."

Daryl saw Beth frown at that as if she couldn't truly believe that. She kissed Judith's head and hugged her before reluctantly handing her back to Carol. Judith didn't look pleased at this and the frown she gave was a formidable one for a baby not even a year old yet. Beth gave her a soft smile and leaned in, kissing her cheek.

"You be good for your Aunt Maggie and Aunt Carol," she told the baby. "I already said goodbye to the kids and told them to be good but if they're not, you let me know and I'll see to them when I get back."

Maggie threw her arms around Beth's shoulders, squeezing her in what looked to be a bone-crushing hug before finally taking a step back. "We'll see you when you get back."

"Definitely," Beth managed to give a smile and a head nod and then finally turned away.

Her eyes immediately fell onto Daryl as he leaned back against the pickup truck and he stared right back. It felt as if it had been days since she last looked at him and he knew it felt like that because that's what it had been. He looked at her and didn't look away because he didn't know when the next time would be where she would look at him again and he wanted to take advantage of this while he could.

He knew he had to apologize. It didn't take a genius to figure out that's what he needed to do. He just didn't know how to. Dixons weren't exactly known for apologizing for anything they did in this world or the old one and Daryl felt the words always clumping in his throat, never quite sure how to get them out and give a voice to them. He knew that if he could just get the damn words out, maybe he and Beth could go back to what they were. Maybe not the kissing part. He couldn't imagine Beth ever wanting to kiss him again but maybe where they were able to talk to one another with Beth looking like his mom, waiting for him to reach out and slap her. Seeing her like that made him sick to his stomach and made him hate himself more than he had ever thought possible – and he was used to hating himself.

Sasha was saying goodbye to Tyreese and Bob and Glenn was saying goodbye to Maggie and Beth took the steps towards the pickup truck where Daryl stood.

"Hey," he managed to grunt at her.

"Hi," she said in a quiet voice. "We all set?"

"Both cars are gassed up and ready to go," he nodded. "Got a lis' or somethin'?"

She nodded this time. "I wrote it last night. I don't want to forget anything." She pulled the list from her pocket and held it out for him to take, which he did. He unfolded it and looked down at her small, neat and girlish handwriting. Most of the things, he could tell just from a glance, were for Judith but she had a few things written down with a child's name next to it. She then also had different things written down for other people. Socks for Carl and a new pair of gardening gloves for Hershel and tampons for all of the women.

"Wha' 'bout you?" He asked, lifting his eyes from the list to look at her.

"What about me?" She tilted her head slightly to the side, a little confused.

"Nothin' on this list's for you," he said as he handed the piece of paper back to her.

"Oh." She shook her head and slipped it back into her pocket. "I don't need anything."

"Hmmmm," Daryl said and he didn't believe her but he didn't comment further. Sasha and then Glenn came, joining them at the pickup truck. "Sasha and me went back there a couple days ago. Hooked the music up to drive whatever walkers were in there away again. Beth and me will take the truck and Glenn and Sasha will be in the other car. When we're there, after makin' sure it's clear, Beth and me'll get the clothes and baby stuff and beddin'. Glenn, hardware. Sasha, medicine. And all of us'll get food."

They all nodded in agreement.

Glenn and Sasha went to their car and Daryl waiting for Beth to climb into the passenger seat of the pickup truck before walking around to the driver's side. He felt a knot in his stomach as if he was nervous and he knew it wasn't because of the run that day – even if the last time they went to the Big Spot, it ended in disaster. A run was a run and this was what he did. He had always gone searching for supplies for his family and he had stopped being nervous about it a long time ago. He knew, this time, he was nervous about Beth. He knew she could handle herself but he was nervous about riding in the truck with her, about having her out there and keeping her safe and bringing her back here without anything happening. He meant what he said to her before he fucked it all up.

 _I'd take care of you, Beth_.

And he would, damn it. Nothing was going to happen to her when they were out there. Over his dead body. And he knew it wasn't the best choice of words but it was the right choice. If he had to, he'd die in a second if it meant Beth getting back to their home without a scratch.

Rick was at the gate and Daryl and him exchanged head nods before Daryl, followed by Glenn, drove out of the prison and headed down the road. He glanced over to Beth beside him, watching as she had her head turned towards the window. For a minute, he thought it was her way of ignoring him and he wasn't surprised but then he realized that she hadn't been out of the prison in so long, she was actually just looking at the scenery.

"The world doesn't stop," she then said softly, more to herself than to him, but he heard himself speaking anyway.

"Stop what?"

Beth turned her head and looked at him. "Growing."

Daryl found himself staring at her for a moment before he remembered himself and snapped his head back towards the windshield, keeping his eyes on the road. He could feel Beth's eyes lingering on him though and he felt as if his palms were beginning to sweat. This girl twisted and mixed everything up inside of him. And he had missed it. It had been five days but he had missed her as if it had been years instead. He didn't know what they were or what they were building towards – only that it had been _something_ – and he knew he wanted it back. Or whatever Beth was willing to give, he would be more than satisfied to take. He just wanted to be able to look at her again and have her look right back.

He opened his mouth to say the words. _I'm sorry_. That's all he had to say but his throat felt too dry and he was suddenly very aware of his tongue in his mouth and he couldn't speak at all. He tightened his fingers around the steering wheel and she turned her head back towards the window and there was nothing but silence between them.

He really hated himself.

…

Beth was petrified and she wondered if Daryl, Glenn and Sasha could all see it even if she was trying her hardest to keep it masked.

Once arriving at the Big Spot, there were a few stragglers and they took them all out easily enough. She had even stabbed one in the head with her knife and it had been so long since she had been so close to a walker but she quickly remembered what she had learned that winter on the road with the others, and using her hand on its throat to keep it away, she plunged her knife right in through the forehead and then quickly stepped aside so it could fall to the ground without taking her with it.

She looked up to see Daryl watching her and then he gave her a small head nod as if in approval and Beth couldn't help but feel proud of herself. This was why she had wanted to come. Judith needed things, yes, and Beth wanted to be in charge of getting those things herself but she wanted to show them all – especially him. She wasn't just the babysitter.

Inside, she stopped right inside the doors and looked at the helicopter that had crashed in through the ceiling. crushing whatever had been in the middle of the store. She hoped it hadn't ruined everything they needed. She followed them as they all got a shopping cart and then Glenn and Sasha went off in their own directions and she followed after Daryl with her own. He pushed his cart with one hand and had his crossbow in his other. She could see the tenseness in his shoulders and back as he walked, alert to their surroundings.

He walked them to the baby department first and Beth was almost overwhelmed. No one had been able to come to this place since the world first fell apart and everything was untouched. Daryl had been right. This place was like a gold mine.

She took her list out, scanning over everything she had written out quickly, not wanting to take too much time. She grabbed baby shampoo and lotion and baby oil. There were baby cloth diapers and she grabbed those as well as two large boxes of Pampers. There was a training toilet and she hesitated in front of it. Judith wasn't ready yet, but she would be, and who knew if they would be able to come back here for it? Daryl must have noticed her uncertainty and hesitance because without a word, he took the box and swung it into his cart. She looked at him and she felt herself giving him a small smile before quickly turning back towards the shelves.

A teething ring and pacifiers and as many onesies as she could grab. She also grabbed a baby hooded sweatshirt and a baby coat along with shoes and booties. It was going to be getting cold soon and she wanted Judith to be as warm as possible. At that thought, she grabbed a couple more blankets, too.

"We'll go back to the truck and load this all up before comin' back for the rest," Daryl said and Beth nodded without argument, pushing her cart after him.

Sasha was outside at the other car, loading everything she could find in the pharmacy section that hadn't been too expired into the truck.

"Hey, Beth," she smiled at Beth. "You think this will be enough for your sister and Glenn?" She asked and Beth laughed as Sasha held up a large cardboard box with _Trojan_ printed on the sides.

Beth glanced at Daryl and found the tips of his ears turning red and she wondered what he was thinking of. She wondered why she found herself hoping that he was thinking of her. She reminded herself that she did not want to have sex with Daryl Dixon. She didn't want to have anything with him. She told herself this again and again and wondered why she had to remind herself so much of it when it should have been so obvious to her.

Back inside, she glanced to her list again and Daryl followed her this time. They went towards the clothes department and Beth began gathering clothes and shoes, socks and underwear, for men, women and children. Daryl helped, gathering as much as he could as well. She saw him lingering at a rack of women's sweaters. The thick cable knit cardigan kind – these with hoods and toggles – and she watched as he picked up a purple one. She wondered who it was for as she watched him place it into his cart.

They were getting closer to the helicopter but the book and game section was near there and Beth had things on her list she wanted to get for the children there.

She and Daryl didn't speak and she couldn't hear anything from Glenn and Sasha in the store. They had to keep as quiet as possible and Beth found herself having to remind herself to breathe because otherwise, she would hold her breath until her lungs burned. She could hear her heart hammering in her chest, pounding in her ears, and she wondered if Daryl could hear it, too.

She grabbed every copy of all seven _Harry Potter_ books from the shelf and a few more kids books. They had _Nancy Drew_ , which she thought Lizzie would like, and a book on bugs that she knew would be perfect for Mika. There were coloring books and flash cards of history, math problems and vocabulary words that would be essential to the lessons she taught. She found herself smiling as she found one book and picked it up, looking at the title.

She then looked to Daryl as he was taking down boxes of board games. "Daryl," she said his name quietly and he instantly turned his head towards her. "Do you want it?" She asked and held it up for him to see.

 _Hunting for Dummies_.

He smirked and she smiled and jokingly, she placed it into her cart.

They left the aisle and rounded the corner and there was the helicopter – lying on its side with glass shattered and plaster lying all around, the hole in the ceiling allowing the sun to shine in. She could hear the growls of some walkers trapped beneath it, still alive – of course – and she saw Daryl slow down, carefully edging his way around it. Beth followed his lead, her heart thumping in her throat.

It all happened so quickly – and she wasn't even entirely sure what happened.

All she saw was Daryl walking in front of her but then he was jerked to a stop and then he fell down to the ground.

"Daryl!" She couldn't help but exclaim out loudly.

His crossbow had fallen from his hands, knocked too far away for him to grab, and she saw him trying to kick himself away from the walker that had a hold of his foot, its lower body trapped underneath the helicopter but able to still reach out for him, its jaws snapping hungrily at his boot. Beth didn't hesitate.

She grabbed her knife as ran to him as fast as she could. Daryl was just reaching for his own knife on his belt as she dropped down and plunged her knife into the walker's skull. The walker's grip was instantly gone and Daryl yanked his leg away. Beth sat on the floor on her knees, breathing heavily, her heart racing so quickly in her chest, she felt as if it was trying to break through her ribcage. She lifted her eyes then and looked to Daryl, finding him to be panting just as hard as she was.

She tried her best to swallow. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Daryl was staring at her and he managed a small nod, not saying anything. Beth leaned over then and hit him in the shoulder.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Daryl Dixon," she told him sternly but she knew it didn't really seem intimidating when she was breathing so hard, scared and near tears.

"You saved me," he then said in a quiet voice, his eyes still never leaving her.

"Well, of course I did," she found herself frowning. "You look out for me and I look out for you," she informed him as if he should have already known that. She thought he had. She took a deep breath. "Are you okay?" She asked him again and she knew that she was asking because really, she needed to hear it at least a thousand more times until she felt like herself again.

"Hey," Glenn appeared then, breathless, having run from the other side of the store, Sasha behind him. "What happened?" He looked to them both still on the floor.

"It's okay," Beth said, glancing up to them both before looking back to Daryl. His eyes still hadn't left hers and she wondered if he really was okay because why was he staring at her like that?

"Beth," Daryl said her name then and she heard herself let out some sort of squeak as he suddenly grabbed her arm and tugged her over to him, causing her to lose her balance, falling into him, and her lips fell to his. His hands were then in her hair, kissing her hard and hungry, and Beth felt her eyes sliding shut as she kissed him back.

He didn't seem to care that Glenn and Sasha were standing there, watching him kiss her, so Beth found herself not caring either.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading! Your response to this story has absolutely blown me away and I don't even know what to say.**


	14. Under Wraps

**I am completely blown away with the response the last chapter received. Thank you so, so much to everyone reading and commenting and hopefully, I can keep it up. Again, this chapter is kind of predictable because I think Maggie would react in a very specific way and I can't imagine writing it differently.**

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…

 **Chapter Fourteen.** Under Wraps.

Daryl thought of who knew. Carol, Sasha and Glenn. And Glenn knowing was a big problem because Glenn was shit at keeping secrets and if Glenn knew, it wouldn't surprise him if the entire prison knew by dinnertime. He tried to decide how he felt about that. He wondered what everyone's reactions would be. Would they look at him like he was Nick? An older guy just trying to take advantage of something pretty and sweet in this shit-stained world? Would they think he was some sick, twisted pervert taking advantage of a young girl?

No. Beth wasn't a girl, he reminded himself. She was a woman. One hell of a woman who had saved his ass just earlier that day. He had been distracted. He was almost ashamed to admit it but it was the truth. He had been thinking about Beth walking behind him with her cart, making sure that there were no walkers just waiting to stumble out towards her, and he had been hoping that one of the walkers wasn't her boyfriend, reaching out for them. He hadn't even been paying attention – which was stupid and careless – when a walker had grabbed him and completely caught him off guard.

It was amazing to watch her. The way she had fallen to her knees and stabbed that walker in the head with her knife and then all she had been concerned about was him. He had stared at her and he knew it was like he had never seen her before. Daryl knew Beth was tough. He always thought of that winter they spent after the farm but before finding this place. Beth was right there next to them, running and freezing and killing walkers. She hung in there and she had grown tougher.

It was easy to forget that sometimes. Since being here, they had worked hard to make this prison their new home and in Daryl's mind, the prison was home because of Beth. She took care of the kids and did laundry and kept their cellblock clean and the whole time, she was smiling and singing and wasn't it because of reasons like that that they fought so hard to keep this home safe? She made this place a home and it was so easy to forget that she kicked just as much ass as most of them.

Kissing her right in that second had been something he hadn't been able to stop himself from doing. In that moment, kissing her was the only thing in this whole damn world that made any sense to him any more. He didn't care about Glenn or Sasha standing there. He didn't care what the consequences might be or that Beth might even yank herself away from him. All he cared about was kissing her and feeling her lips on his and tasting her after going five long days without even feeling a centimeter of her.

When the kiss finally broke and he remembered that they were sitting on the floor of the Big Spot with Glenn and Sasha watching them, he hadn't been entirely sure what to do. Beth had been looking at him for a reaction and he knew that she was expecting him to just push himself away and ignore her.

Instead, he got to his feet, grabbed her hand and helped her to his and then grunted to all of them that they had to finish up the run and get back.

The drive back was quiet but it didn't feel tense. Beth had sat there, looking out the window with a small smile on her face and a soft song being hummed through her pursed lips. She must have known that he hadn't had a clue as to what to say and if she knew, it wouldn't surprise him. Beth knew so much about him without him telling her anything and he really didn't understand how but it was a little amazing to him nonetheless.

When they got back to the prison, everyone came out to help empty the amazing haul the four had brought back with them and Maggie and Hershel were there, hugging Beth tightly, obviously relieved to see that she was back there in once place. Hershel had looked at Daryl through the people and catching his eye, gave him a smile and slight head nod of thanks. The kids then came, swarming around Beth like locusts, and she had laughed, hugging them and telling them that she had brought back presents for them.

Daryl had helped carry things inside and then he had gone up to his cell to put away the packs of socks and boxers he had grabbed for himself and he sat down on the bed to lace his boots with the new shoelaces he had gotten. And his mind was on nothing but Beth.

And as if she knew this, he could hear the stairs creaking and even if he didn't turn his head to look who had approached his cell, he would know it was her. Girl was just out there, killing walkers and she still smelled like damn sunshine.

Beth stood in the doorway of his cell, Judith in her arms, looking unsure with herself.

"Hi," she then said as if she remembered to speak and she gave him a small smile.

"Hey," he grunted back and he noted the relief on her face that he actually spoke to her. He almost reminded her that she had been the one who had been ignoring him but Daryl was smart enough to not point that out. He was an asshole and deserved to be ignored. He should have been the one feeling relieved that she was talking to him and he was.

"Do you mind?" She then asked, gesturing to Judith in her arms.

He shook his head and then stood up from the bed, taking the blanket she had draped over her arm. He spread it on the floor and Beth gave him a smile before setting the baby down on the blanket and handing her the stack of plastic red cups. Judith sat up and immediately began smashing the cups together, and Beth smiled, standing back up, watching her.

"Jus' got back from gettin' her all sorts of things and she still only wants those?" Daryl asked, watching Judith, too, feeling like smiling as he did.

"Yeah. She's easy," Beth let out a little laugh. "But the other kids loved everything we got them. I've already promised Luke I'd play Connect Four with him after dinner."

Daryl sat himself back down on the bed and he looked at Beth. He didn't say the words but Beth seemed to read what he was thinking and she slowly sat down beside him. Her side was against his and she was warm and smelled so sweet and he looked at her jean clad thigh pressed against his. Girl was too skinny, he noted. Hershel said she always had been but Daryl looked down at her thigh and her thin arm against his and he thought of all of the food they had brought back with them. No one was going to be going hungry anytime soon and Daryl would make sure she ate her share.

They didn't speak and he watched as she moved her hand. Slowly. Not moving it quickly. It slowly inched towards his own hand and he didn't blink. Her fingers touched his and she then stilled, waiting for his reaction to her touch. He didn't move. He was pretty sure he wasn't even breathing right then. Beth continued. Her fingers slid along his and Daryl found himself moving his fingers back against hers. They both moved slow – as if they were waiting for the other one to pull away suddenly – but of course, it didn't happen. And then, Beth's fingers slid through his and laced hers with his and Daryl found himself sitting on his bed, next to Beth Greene, holding her hand.

He turned his head to look at her and Beth turned her head to look at him. She gave him a small smile and Daryl just kept staring at her. And then, he leaned into her and kissed her.

Beth lifted her other hand and rested it lightly along the side of his neck and Daryl found himself pressing harder into her. He turned his body towards her and his other hand slid along her leg, coming to a rest on her hip. His mouth moved against hers – hungry for her taste because he had missed it; craved it; had been starving for it and it was baffling to him that just after a few kisses with her before, he was already so damn addicted to her.

"Daryl," she murmured his name softly and then she tilted her head, inviting him to kiss her deeper so he did, his mouth slanting over hers and his tongue entering her mouth.

He could hear others in the cell block with them. They definitely weren't alone but Daryl knew that he would be able to pull away from her quickly if anyone came near his cell. For now though, they were alone and he was going to take advantage because even though a few people already knew, he wasn't too eager to everyone to know about them. Not yet. He wanted to just enjoy this with her for a little bit longer without stares and whispers and judgments from others. He knew the time for that would come but not right now.

"Wait," Beth laughed softly against his lips and he felt himself smiling against hers. Both of her hands were on his chest now and she gave him a small push, separating their lips. "I just need a second to catch my breath."

Daryl didn't know what had come over him because obviously, breathing was important but at the same time, he couldn't keep himself away. And as she breathed, Daryl leaned in and began slipping his lips along her neck. She let out a quiet _Hmmmm_ through her lips and her fingers were in his hair.

"I have to go…" she whispered reluctantly. "I promised Carol I'd help with dinner."

But even as she said the words, Daryl's lips remained on the side of her neck and her body remained pressed to his with her fingers in his hair. It was only when Judith let out a squeal of laughter did Beth pull her head away and Daryl lifted his head, taking his lips from her.

She looked at him and gave him a small, warm smile and Daryl looked at her and her slightly darker eyes and her slightly swollen lips. He still didn't know what he was doing with her – what _they_ were doing – but for once, he wasn't thinking about how wrong it was or how he should be nowhere near her. Rather, Daryl was thinking of when he would be able to kiss her again. Maybe after dinner and her Connect Four game with Luke. Maybe he could go to her cell this time and they could kiss behind the privacy sheet she had hanging.

As always, the girl was mixing everything up in his head and making him think of things he had never thought he had _wanted_ to think but for once, Daryl didn't seem to care.

"'m sorry," he then mumbled and Beth almost immediately stiffened at his apology. He looked at her – at her slightly wide eyes and furrowed brow – and he had gotten the words out but he knew that she thought he was apologizing for the wrong thing; for kissing her just now like he had. He shook his head at the thought. "For wha' I said to you," he clarified himself and Beth visibly swallowed.

"Oh. That," she then softly, her eyes dropping away from him.

"I didn' mean it. I was just pissed off. I'm always pissed off," he added in a low voice. "But when I'm with you, when it's just us, I don't really have any reason to be pissed off."

Beth lifted her eyes again to him and it was his turn to swallow. Girl could get him to do anything with just one look of her eyes. If she told him she wanted the moon, Daryl knew that he would make a fool of himself, trying to climb in the sky and bring it down for her.

"You're not just the lil' prison babysitter and I'm an asshole for saying that to you and lettin' you think that that's what I think of you. 'Cause it ain't, Beth. Not at all. You're the girl who saves my ass," he said and his hands slid onto her thighs as he looked to her face. "'m real sorry," he said again.

He wasn't sure what Beth would say or do but when she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, that's really all she had to do.

"Thank you for apologizing," she said to him in a soft voice that brushed across his face like a light breeze or a tickling feather.

"Can I see you again? After dinner?" He asked her quickly as he felt her begin to pull away and he felt as nervous as a boy asking a girl he liked out on a date for the first time.

Of course, Daryl didn't know what that felt like. He had never asked a girl out. He had always stayed away from girls – even the ones in the trailer park where he lived with his old man after his mom burned their house down. He was always so nervous around other people. Nervous they would ask about the bruises or why he smelled or laugh at him for the clothes he was wearing. Avoiding everyone had just been easier than doing anything else.

When he was with Beth, he felt like he was that fourteen-year-old kid again, watching the prettiest girl in his class, as she smiled and laughed with her friends and he knew he would never even be close enough to breathe in the same air as her.

Beth smiled at him now and she leaned back in towards his face. She definitely didn't seem to mind sharing the same air as him. She brushed her nose against his and then brushed her lips against his. "You can play Connect Four with me and Luke," she said and gave him a smile and he sat on the bed, watching as she stood up and collected Judith and her things, leaving his cell with one last smile thrown over her shoulder at him.

…

Beth was surprised when after dinner, Daryl joined her.

Carol had made a big vat of pasta from some of the boxes they had brought back with them and with the tomatoes harvested from the garden, Beth had helped her make sauce and it was amazing to Beth how simple spaghetti could put everyone in a good mood.

The entire meal, Beth would look at Daryl as he sat with Rick and her daddy and she then would look at Glenn and Maggie. Glenn was staring at her and then he would look over to Maggie, who was talking with Sasha, and then he would go back to look at Beth, seeing that she was looking at Daryl.

It would almost make her laugh if it wasn't so ridiculous. She felt like she was in some teen romantic comedy or something. But at the same time, her throat felt thick at the idea of Glenn telling Maggie. Of course Glenn was going to tell Maggie. Those two told one another everything and even if they didn't, Glenn couldn't keep a secret.

And she knew she didn't want to keep her and Daryl a secret. She didn't think they were doing absolutely anything wrong so why did they have to keep it a secret? But she knew what would happen if and when everyone found out. It had taken her some time but after sitting down and thinking it through, she understood why Daryl would want to hide it from everyone for a while.

If people found out that she and Daryl were involved with one another in any way, Beth knew that everyone would have an opinion. She was too young. He was too old. She was just a girl and he was old enough to be her daddy. She couldn't make her own decisions. He was taking advantage. She could just imagine what would be said so she couldn't blame Daryl for wanting to keep it quiet because she was now wanting to keep it quiet, too.

But Daryl grabbing her and kissing her during the run today had kind of thrown a wrench into any kind of plan they might have had about keeping this to themselves because kissing in front of Glenn was the worst person to do anything in front of when you didn't want anyone else to know.

She had wanted to talk to Glenn about keeping it to himself for just a little bit but after the run, he seemed to be avoiding her and she hadn't been able to get him alone to ask him. She wanted to promise him that she would tell Maggie – eventually. Just not right this second.

After dinner, she tried to help clean up but Maggie had shooed her away, telling her that she had done more than enough for the day. She found Luke at one of the picnic tables, already setting up the Connect Four game and she sat down across from him, smiling as he declared to her that he would be the black pieces and she could be the red.

They had been halfway through the first game when someone suddenly sat down beside her and she turned, startled for a moment to see that it was Daryl, sitting down beside her as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Judith had been playing on her blanket on the ground but he had picked her up and now held her in his arms. Beth smiled at him and felt her cheeks warm and his own lips twitched in a smile.

"So, how do you play this thing?" Daryl asked.

Luke gasped excitedly. "I'll teach you!" He eagerly offered and Beth had laughed at his enthusiasm as she dropped one of her red chips in a slot.

"You can play winner," she offered to Daryl and he smiled a little at her.

"Beth!"

She jumped slightly as her name was suddenly exclaimed across the prison yard and all of them turned their heads to see Maggie approaching. More like storming their way with Glenn behind them, looking at least guilty and apologetic. Daryl mumbled something to himself and Beth sighed softly. She shouldn't have been surprised that Glenn had cracked after less than a day and had clearly told Maggie.

"Damn it, Glenn," Daryl grumbled under his breath and Beth took a deep breath, standing up.

"What's up, Maggie?" Beth smiled at her.

Maggie narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't what's up, Maggie, to me," she said. "I'm telling daddy," she informed them both.

"Tell him what?" Beth did her best to feign innocence.

"I'm going to tell him – and everyone else on the council – that Daryl is taking advantage of you," Maggie said in a voice slowly growing louder as she grew angrier and more upset.

Daryl stood up then, too, standing behind Beth, Judith still in his arms.

Beth braced herself, waiting for him to say something – for him to deny everything and walk away – but he kept standing there and Beth felt a growing confidence within herself at the feel of him staying right there with her.

She took another deep breath and looked at Maggie. "If that's what you think he's doing... Alright. Let's go tell daddy."

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	15. Obvious to a Blind Man

**Even though it is known to the others about Beth and Daryl now, these two are still going to be moving slowly, both a little still unsure as to what they're doing.**

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 **Chapter Fifteen.** Obvious to a Blind Man.

Maggie had no idea why no one else on the council seemed very surprised once she told them what Daryl was doing with Beth. She stood there at the head of the table with Daryl sitting in his chair and Beth standing behind her, off to the side, Judith in her arms. Rick had been brought in, too, though he seemed to have no opinion about anything anymore.

She had expected exclamations or immediate shock and protests or any type of reaction – at all – but instead, the council all sat there and not a single one of them seemed surprised with what she had just told them. She, of course, hadn't seen Daryl kiss her sister and she was just going with what Glenn had told her but why wasn't this a bigger deal to them? It was a hell of a big deal to her. Her little sister was nineteen and she didn't know how old Daryl was but he definitely wasn't nineteen. It didn't matter how old Daryl was though because no matter the answer, he was just too old for Beth.

Was she the only one seeing this?

Her eyes went from Daryl to Carol to Sasha to Glenn and then they settled on Rick and her daddy. Rick's eyebrows had shot up in surprise but he hadn't said anything and Maggie could have sworn that she saw a small smile spread across her daddy's lips.

"He's not taking advantage of me, like Maggie suggested," Beth spoke up and all eyes in the library turned to her. "I was the one who kissed him first and… Daryl _never_ would have kissed me if I hadn't done it first."

From the corner of her eye, Maggie could see Daryl frown at that as if he didn't agree.

"Why are you so surprised?" Hershel spoke and Maggie turned her head to look at him. It took her a second for her to realize that Hershel was addressing her.

"Why aren't you?" Maggie asked in return.

"Because I have eyes," Hershel then said, smiling a bit more obviously at her now. "These two have been making eyes at one another for quite some time."

Maggie looked to Daryl but he was looking down at the table somewhat bashfully and then she looked to Beth, who's cheeks were stained a light pink from blushing. Maggie's brow furrowed as she looked back to the others, trying to see if they had seen this coming before today and she had just been blind to it. Glenn was looking confused but Sasha and Carol still weren't showing any type of surprised reaction to any of this.

Her eyes fell to Rick. It was understood by all as to why Rick had decided to step down from leading them and passing the responsibility onto Daryl. And Daryl really had done a good job at building this prison up to be their new home – safe and stable – but Maggie knew she still wasn't the only one who looked to Rick for answers and guidance with matters.

Daryl and Rick were extremely close. It was amazing, considering where those two had begun, but now, they were as close as brothers and Maggie wondered what Rick thought of his brother messing around with her _young_ sister.

Rick sat there, however, looking at Daryl as if he was studying him, trying to figure out the answers from just looking at him. And then, as if feeling that Rick was looking at him, Daryl lifted his head and looked at him in return. Neither one of them said a word and Maggie looked back to Beth, wondering if she would say something but she was too busy wiping at Judith's runny nose and didn't seem to be paying attention to any of this.

She sighed heavily, looking back to the council. "This is wrong," she stated.

"Why?" Sasha spoke up with a slight frown on her face.

"Daryl's too old-" Maggie began.

"Maggie," Beth interrupted with a sigh.

"Beth's mature for her age and Daryl's not," Sasha said. "They meet in the middle."

Daryl looked at Sasha with a raised eyebrow and she just smiled at him. After a moment, he smirked a little and shook his head and Maggie saw his eyes trail over to Beth. Maggie could see Beth looking back at him and smiling faintly at him, the same light blush across her cheeks. Maggie noted that Beth looked happy and that made Maggie frown because Beth was her baby sister and shouldn't she had seen it immediately if Beth was looking happy like this? Beth was generally a happy person – except when she wasn't. Beth hadn't always had depression but it had slowly taken root and developed and now, Maggie knew that her sister had good days and bad days like anyone. But still, Maggie felt as if she had missed this happening and she shouldn't have.

 _How_ had this even happened?

Maggie couldn't help but think that it didn't make too much sense to her. Daryl and Beth? What did they even talk about? They couldn't possibly have anything in common.

Maggie looked to Daryl and then to Beth again before once more looking back to her daddy. She honestly had been expecting a different reaction from Hershel. More outspoken and perhaps a bit more upset. Not like this. He was basically patting Daryl on the back and giving them his stamp of approval. She sighed heavily.

"Beth isn't a little girl," Rick finally spoke and all eyes swept to him upon hearing his first words. "I think she's proven that to all of us time and time again. She's perfectly capable of making her own decisions in regards to her feelings. And if the old world was still around, none of this would matter anyway because Beth is over eighteen and that used to be the only thing that mattered."

Maggie opened her mouth as if she wanted to argue but she honestly wasn't too sure what to say. She had one argument to say in protest to Daryl and her sister having anything to do with one another and that was the one argument that no one seemed to be in agreement.

"And Daryl is a good man," Rick finished in that tone that everyone recognized as the tone that no one argued with – not that anyone would argue with his statement because it was the truth.

Daryl _was_ a good man who would do anything to keep their family safe. Just thinking about what Nick had said and what Daryl had done in response to that, if there had ever been a doubt in Maggie's mind about Daryl wanting to keep their family safe, there wasn't a single doubt anymore after that.

Maggie sighed softly, feeling as if this losing battle hadn't been much of a battle in the first place. She looked to Carol, who had been quiet through this whole thing. "And you're okay with this?" Maggie asked.

Carol seemed a little surprised by the direct question and a bit amused. "Why wouldn't I be?" She shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with having a little happiness where you can find it nowadays." She looked to Daryl then and gave him a faint smile.

"Alright." Hershel put his hands on the table and pushed himself to his feet. "Now, if there's nothing actually the matter, I need to get back to my garden. I have some carrots that need to be pulled."

And with that, everyone else started standing up, too. Maggie, once again, opened her mouth to say something else but before she could, Glenn took her hand and began pulling her from the library, Maggie trying to protest but Glenn not listening.

When everyone else had left, Daryl looked to Beth to find that she was looking at him with a smile on her face – the smile growing wider with each passing moment.

"Wha'?" He grunted.

She shrugged and bent down, setting Judith on the floor. Immediately, the baby began crawling towards the small box of toys they had pushed into the corner. Beth kept one eye on her and looked to Daryl.

"You weren't expecting that to go as smoothly as it did," she then informed him as if telling him something he hadn't been aware of himself.

And since she already knew and there was no reason to deny it, Daryl gave his head a shake and leaned back against the table behind him. "Thought they'd kick me out," he admitted.

"Why?" If Beth was surprised by that, she didn't show it.

He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Don' wan' anyone thinkin' I'm takin' advantage of you or just some sick ol' pervert."

Beth looked at him for a moment and then seemed to approach him almost hesitantly as if she wasn't entirely sure if he wanted her close to him or not. Daryl uncrossed his arms as she came to a stop between his spread feet and without even thinking about it, his hands came to a hesitant light rest on her hips. Beth smiled, pleased at the contact and that he had made such a move. She shuffled in a little closer to him and he looked down as her hands slowly came to a rest on his chest. He then lifted his eyes and looked to her face.

"What?" She asked, able to see that he was clearly thinking something.

He shook his head. "Jus' thinkin' 'bout how clean you are."

She let out a little laugh at that. "I am?"

Daryl nodded, smirking a little, and it faded as he took one of her hands from his chest and held it up so she could see his hand against hers. Her skin was so pale and his was tanned and dirty and where his was rough, hers was the softest, smoothest skin he had ever felt. He was startled for a moment when Beth leaned in and brushed her lips across his knuckles. She then lifted her eyes to his face.

"I like it," she said in a soft voice. "I like that we're different."

"Yeah?" He felt himself rubbing his thumb in circles on her hand now and it made her smile as she looked at him, nodding her head. And he didn't know why she would like them being different but he found himself not finding an argument with it because he liked it, too.

Beth turned her head away for a moment to watch Judith for a moment, the baby gnawing on the corner of a board book that had been brought back from a random run and she then turned back to Daryl. Daryl didn't stop himself or make himself hesitate. He leaned in to her and she smiled faintly before leaning in, meeting him halfway. His hands dropped down to her hips again and Beth's hands went to the sides of his neck, her thumbs brushing along his cheeks as their lips met softly at first.

The kisses were slow. Almost lazy. They both seemed content to just take their time with one another, kissing and tasting and familiarizing themselves with one another. It was still unbelievable to Daryl that if someone walked into the library right now and saw him and Beth kissing, there wouldn't be an explosion within the prison. He couldn't quite believe that everyone in his family seemed to be alright with this; with them doing whatever they were doing together. He still didn't really know what they were doing but he figured he'd follow Beth's lead for a while. She seemed to always be so certain about most things.

It was important to Daryl that he had the family's approval. Nothing was more important to him than that and if they were all screaming about this and dead against him and Beth having anything together, Daryl would push himself away from Beth and not go near her again. Being important to their family and having their family respect him had meant a lot to Daryl for a while now and he wasn't looking to lose it anytime soon.

But they were okay with this. They had actually spoken out in support of it, shutting Maggie down and her overprotectiveness towards Beth that Daryl found to be completely unnecessary. Maggie had to know – deep down – that Daryl would never do anything to hurt Beth. And maybe, once she got past the initial shock of this, she'd remember that.

Daryl slowly pushed his tongue past Beth's parted lips and she moaned softly, pressing herself tighter against him. Her arms slid around his neck, holding onto him as if she needed the support now that his tongue was swirling around hers. Daryl remembered that he had been meaning to ask how the hell this girl could taste like honey all of the time. Did she have some stashed in her cell that she took swigs of throughout the day?

Just as he pulled his head back from hers to ask though, they both heard a commotion from outside. Running feet and shouting. Daryl instantly stiffened and gently pushed Beth away so he could stand up from leaning against the table.

"Daryl!" They both then heard Sasha scream his name from outside.

Daryl grabbed his crossbow as he hurried to the door. He pointed a finger back at Beth.

"Stay," he ordered before running out, leaving Beth and Judith behind in the library and he didn't know what was going on but he knew Beth and Judith were safe in the library.

Outside, he saw immediately what it was. It was a problem that had happened before. Too many walkers were pushing on the fence and their people were trying to push the fence back on them before it could collapse.

Daryl didn't hesitate in bolting down the hill towards the section of fence that was beginning to weaken under the weight. As he ran, he could see Carol trying to calm down a hysterical Lizzie.

"You're killing them! You're killing them!" Lizzie was screaming at the top of her lungs.

Daryl didn't stop to think about what the girl's problem was. It seemed as if everyone had run to try to help at the fence, half stabbing as many walkers as they could while the other half was pushing back on the fence, trying to get it stable again.

"What do we do?" Glenn shouted to him over the noise.

"We spread 'em out!" Daryl answered without thinking.

He then took out his hunting knife from his belt. They no longer had pigs they could take to draw them away. Instead, they only had themselves. Daryl didn't hesitate in sliding the knife across his arm, slicing his arm open. He didn't even flinch. He just held his arm up so the walkers could smell his blood and then he began walking further down, seeing that some of the walkers broke away to follow after him.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Glenn and Tyreese had cut their arms with their own knives and were drawing even more away, giving Rick, Sasha, Maggie and the others time to push the braces back under the fences to hold it back up. Once the walkers were more spread out again, they were easier to pick off and his heart was hammering so hard by the time it was all done, Daryl thought it would explode in his chest.

Lizzie was still screaming and Carol was shaking her by the shoulders, trying to get her to stop. He looked up the hill and saw that Beth had come outside now. Even with the distance between them, Beth seemed to spot them immediately. She hurried down the hill, stopping along the way to safely pass Judith into Hershel's arms before breaking out into a run towards him.

She was pale as she stopped in front of him and saw his bloody arm. "Are you bit?"

"Cut myself," he shook his head. "Tryin' to get the walkers away from that one spot."

She seemed to breathe with relief and then, without thought, she took off the shirt she had layered over her tee-shirt and Daryl opened his mouth to protest but it was too late as she began wrapping it around the cut on his arm, still pouring out blood.

"We need to clean and stitch you," she said and he nodded without argument.

"Glenn and Tyreese, too," he said and it was her turn to nod.

As Beth finished wrapping the shirt and then tightened it for pressure, Daryl looked over his shoulder to the fences. He really had to figure out what to do about it. Without these fences, the prison, their home, would be taken over and they would all be scattered to the wind again. He just didn't know what to do. The prison was too big so it wasn't as if they could just go out and scavenge more fence to add to it. There was too much fence to cover.

"Someone's been feeding them again," Sasha came up to him, holding up a gutted mouse by the tail. "It's why they crowd that part of the fence all of the time."

Daryl let out a growl from deep in his throat. Who the hell would do that?

"Daryl," Beth said his name softly and he instantly turned to look at her. "Do you remember that winter? How at night, when we had to sleep outside, we'd keep walkers around us? And then Michonne used to walk around with two or cover herself in their guts so they wouldn't care about her?"

Daryl nodded slowly, looking at her, and he had already figured out where she was going with this. And he instantly felt like an idiot for not having thought of it so much sooner. The whole thing was just so fucking obvious and how the hell could he run this place if he couldn't even think of that sooner?

"Beth!" Carol called out to her and they both looked to see that Carol was holding Lizzie from behind as the girl tried to kick to get away.

Beth didn't need to be told anymore. She left Daryl to hurry over to Carol and help her with Lizzie and together, they both tried to drag the girl back up towards the prison.

"She thinks they're people," Carl said, having appeared beside him, sweating and breathing heavily from having helped at the fences, and Daryl looked at him, his brow furrowed and his frown deep. "Lizzie. She's probably the one feeding them. She thinks the walkers are still people and we don't understand them."

Daryl's head was pounding. First the run and then with it being made known about him and Beth and then the fences and the mob of walkers and now this. He just wanted to go to bed but the sun was still just sinking towards the horizon. He hated the long summer days sometimes. Thank God it was finally starting to get cold again. Walkers moved slower in the cold and maybe it would give him time to fix the fences.

He looked back up the hill. Lizzie was crying now, having all but collapsed, and Carol had gotten Rick to carry the girl into the cellblock.

"What are we going to do?" Sasha asked from his other side. "If she's the one feeding the walkers… it's not like we can kick her out."

Daryl sighed and fought the urge to rub his forehead. His arm was throbbing and it had already bled through Beth's shirt. He had to go see Hershel about getting this stitched and then he already knew that he would go to Beth's cell to see her and ask her about Lizzie. Maybe Beth would have an idea as to what to do about the girl.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	16. Lovely Day

**Thank you so much for the reads and reviews. This chapter isn't the most exciting thing, I admit, so it won't surprise me if no one really cares about it. It's pretty boring in terms of just showing day-to-day life at the prison but the end further moves the story along to the next chapter.** **As always, last update before the weekend. I'll see you Monday!**

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 **Chapter Sixteen.** Lovely Day.

Beth sang the song softly as Judith's eyes grew heavier and heavier with each blink as the baby was ushered into slumber. She laid in the pen with her blanket spread out over her and the elephant right by her side. And in her mouth was one of the new pacifiers they had gotten for her earlier that morning at the Big Spot. Goodness, had the run been just that morning? Belt felt as if she had lived through an entire week already rather than just one day. And just at the thought, she smothered a yawn with her hand.

She watched Judith and trailed the song off as the baby slipped completely asleep. Beth made sure that the baby was covered before she stood up again, her knees cracking. She had just started peeling her shirt off over her head when someone knocked on the bars of her cell on the other side of the bed sheet. She tugged her shirt back on and then quickly hurried to the sheet, pushing the edge of it aside. She smiled the instant she saw him.

"Hi," she greeted quietly, her stomach immediately fluttering at the sight of him.

"Hey," Daryl grunted in response. "Lil' Asskicker asleep?"

She nodded and pushed the sheet aside wider before taking a step back into the cell, silently inviting him inside as well. He hesitated for a moment and she could see him thinking it through. She knew that he would hesitate but she actually didn't know if he would enter or not. She couldn't guess as to what Daryl Dixon would do. She still hardly knew him and everything she learned about him now was something new. She was already looking forward to when she knew him better than everyone.

Finally, Daryl took a step into the cell and Beth let the sheet fall shut behind him. He stood there, looking unsure of what to do now, so Beth moved, sitting down on her bed and she gave him a small smile, looking up at him. Daryl looked down to Judith sleeping in her pen and then he moved forward and slowly eased himself down on the bed beside her. He seemed nervous and tense and she looked at him, wondering if everything was alright. She then quickly told herself that everything clearly wasn't alright.

"What's going on?" She finally asked him softly so not to disturb Judith.

For a moment, she held her breath and was afraid that he had come here to talk about everything that had happened today – mainly everyone knowing about them now. Beth didn't know exactly what they were. Only that they were _something_ and she wanted to keep this going with him. She didn't know when everything had changed between them – when they had gone to being absolutely nothing to one another to being this but she knew that she didn't want it to come to an end so soon. She hoped Daryl didn't want that either.

"Came to talk to you," he stated the obvious. He was leaning forward, his arms on his knees and he was studying his hands.

She looked at the white bandage wrapped around his left forearm. She had wanted to help her daddy with cleaning and stitching it shut but Carol had needed her help with Lizzie. Something had set the girl off and she was wild and hysterical as they tried to calm her down. Beth had never seen anything like it before and she had done her best to try and get Lizzie under control again. When the girl had finally exhausted herself and fell asleep, Beth had felt such relief. She had no idea what had been the matter with her and taking one look at Carol, Beth knew that Carol hadn't known either.

Not able to stop herself from doing so, Beth reached her hand over and slipped it between both of his. Daryl didn't seem to even think about it as he closed his hands around hers and Beth loved how warm and rough his skin always felt.

He turned his head and looked at her. "I'm gonna talk to the council tomorrow 'bout the fences. 'm thinkin' we take the walkers and chop the limbs up and tie 'em to the fences. Maybe we could start diggin' holes, too, before the ground gets too cold."

Beth gave him a smile and nodded. "Sounds homey," she teased lightly and he smirked.

His eyes fell to her hand and he began rubbing circles with his thumb along her skin like he had done earlier in the library and like in the library, it gave her the same bout of shivers. She leaned in closer to him and her head found its way to his shoulder. It amazed her how all natural this felt. She never would have guessed. Back at the farm, he had made her so nervous – like a rabid dog, pacing and ready to bite the hand of anyone if they got too close. And now, she sat on her bed with him with her hand encased in his and her head on his shoulder and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this.

Contentment.

"Also need to talk to you 'bout Lizzie," he continued.

Beth hadn't been expecting that and she lifted her head, looking at him curiously. Daryl turned his head and looked at her, too, staying quiet for a moment.

"Carl thinks she's the one leavin' mice at the fence for the walkers to eat," he said.

Beth stared at him, her brow furrowing. She understood every word that came out of his mouth and yet, she couldn't understand them when he strung them together. Lizzie was feeding the walkers? Why the hell would she do something like that?

"'s why the fences are starting to weaken," Daryl pushed on. "Too many of 'em in one spot, all pushin' on 'em at the same time."

Beth shook her head. "Why would Lizzie…" she trailed off, having absolutely no words to finish the question. She couldn't wrap her head around it because it was just too insane.

Daryl shrugged a shoulder. "Your guess is as good as mine. Carl was tellin' me that Lizzie thinks they're still people and that we just don't understand 'em."

Beth stood up then. She wasn't sure why but she felt the need to move around in that second and she felt too anxious now to just be sitting there. Daryl remained sitting and tilted his head up, looking at her. She paced back and forth just a few steps before stopping and turning herself to face him.

"If she's really doing that and she's putting everyone here at risk, what are you going to do?" She asked him.

He shrugged, his eyes lowering back to the floor. "She's jus' a kid. Not like I can throw her out of here and tell her to fend for herself."

Beth heard the exhaustion evident in his tone and she moved back to sit down beside him.

Daryl turned his head and looked at her. "Can you talk to her? No one knows the kids in this place like you do and maybe you can figure out what the hell she's doin'."

"Of course," Beth agreed with a nod without pausing to think. There was nothing to think about. "You should get some sleep. It's been a long day."

"Yeah…" he agreed and she knew he was tired because he didn't argue. Daryl was the sort who stayed up late and woke up early, always having a million things he wanted to do each day but if anyone in that prison needed rest – besides Judith – it was Daryl.

He stood up and looked down at her and she smiled faintly and looked up at him.

"Good night," she said to him softly.

"G'night."

She thought he would turn and walk out then but instead, he leaned down then and kissed her forehead. He didn't look at her again and before Beth could even do anything in response, he turned and walked from the cell as quickly as he could while trying to not make it obvious that he was scurrying away from her.

Beth sat on the bed, immobile for a moment, feeling the tingles in her forehead from his kiss and then, like the teenager she still was, she fell backwards, her head landing on her pillow and she had to cover her mouth before she woke the cell block up with her giggles.

…

Judith was sleeping through the night and Beth figured they both got about six hours before the first cries of the morning appeared and woke them up.

Beth pulled herself from bed to get Judith and start both their days but as she pushed the blankets from her body, she heard a quiet swish of fabric falling to the floor. Brow furrowed, she sat up and looked at what it had been. She picked it up and held it up in front of her so she could see it in the weak morning dawn light. And when she saw what it was, a smile slowly spread across her lips and she felt her cheeks blush. It was the purple sweater that Daryl had been looking at while at the Big Spot yesterday. It was thick cable-knit, dark purple, with a hood and black toggles and Beth brought it to her chest, hugging it. He must have slipped in here while she was still sleeping and placed it here so she wouldn't miss it.

She wondered how cool it was going to be. She couldn't wait to wear this.

She stood up with a slight bounce in her step and lifted Judith in her arms. She took a fresh cloth diaper and the container of baby powder and laying her on the floor, Beth changed her into a fresh diaper and into a clean onesie. She sent sat Judith back in her pen so she could get dressed, too, for the day. Blue jeans and long socks with her cowboy boots and she didn't know what the weather would be like but she wanted to wear the sweater so she chose a tank top to wear and then tugged on the sweater, smiling to herself as she did. She had been able to take a shower the night before so she stood in front of the small mirror on the wall and brushing it out, she then braided it and pinned it up into the crown around her head like she had begun wearing her hair all of the time. She liked her ponytails but this style really kept it from her face and neck for the day and she liked the way she looked.

"Breakfast time, Juju," she smiled to the baby, lifting her up in her arms again, and she left her cell. The block was quiet and she knew that some were still sleeping but others had already gotten up and started their days. She didn't even wonder which one of those Daryl was. She knew he was probably already outside, maybe up in a tower or at the fences.

She made a bowl of oatmeal and prepared a bottle and then sat Judith down in her lap at one of the tables, smiling as the baby girl took her bottle and held it between her own little pudgy hands as she leaned back against Beth's chest and suckled on the rubber nipple. Beth kept an arm around Judith's middle as she began eating her own breakfast.

She heard footsteps and turned her head to see Rick step into the room from the cell block. She gave him a smile. "Good morning," she greeted.

Rick smiled faintly at her in return. "Mornin'," he said with a head nod. He went to go get himself a cup of the instant coffee they were able to make with boiled water and after he had made himself a mug, he turned back towards her. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he seemed to decide something and came to sit across from her at the table. He watched as Judith held her bottle, the baby looking at him with her big eyes. "She's gotten so big," he noted almost in a hush.

Beth nodded, smiling faintly as she looked down to Judith, brushing her fingers through her thin light hair. "She's crawling and still teething but it's not as bad now as it was in the beginning. We're going to be working on coordination next and I've been reading a baby book and we should start proofing some things around her. I meant to talk to Daryl about it but with her crawling, she'll be walking before we know it and we should be prepared."

Rick nodded, never taking his eyes from his daughter. "Whatever you both need." He sipped his coffee and then cleared his throat. "When she starts talking… she's going to call you mama," he then told her.

Beth wasn't sure if he was asking or telling her and she wasn't sure how to respond. "I take her to see Lori all of the time." She didn't want to make Rick upset by having him think that she was trying to teach Judith that _she_ was her mother.

Rick shook his head as his way of interrupting her. "I know you do. And she'll know all about Lori when she's older. But everyone knows that you're her mom, alive and here, and Judith knows it, too. Carl and me know it." He swallowed again. "I didn't mean to just push her off on you. I just… it's hard most of the time-"

"I know, Rick," Beth was quick to say. She reached a hand out across the table and grasped Rick's hand that was resting there. "And I haven't minded. I love her and I love taking care of her," she said. "If you don't mind her calling me mama one day, I don't mind either."

Rick looked at her and nodded his head and squeezed her hand in return. "I don't know what we'd do without you. Not just with Judith but with any of the children. And with Daryl, too."

"I haven't done anything with Daryl," she shook her head, feeling her neck begin to flush. What was Rick thinking? That she and Daryl had already done all sorts of things together? Or was he talking about something else that she wasn't understanding?

Rick just smiled though and stood up, draining the rest of his coffee. "Have to get outside. The garden's not going to garden itself."

He took a step away from the table but then he turned back and quickly, he bent down and kissed Judith on the head before he turned and walked away, heading outside. Beth smiled to herself and resumed eating her oatmeal. She looked down to Judith and brushed her own lips across her head.

"Your daddy loves you," she told the baby in a quiet voice. "Even if he doesn't show it all of the time, I'll tell you all sorts of stories when you're older about what he did to keep you safe," she promised. Judith just kept sucking on her bottle.

After breakfast, Beth carried Judith outside and she saw that most of the children were already there, crawling around in the grass, Mika holding her bug book in her hands.

"Beth!" She called out gleefully when she saw her. "We're hunting for spiders!"

Beth tried not to shudder. She had always despised spiders. "Why?" She tried to smile.

"Spiders eat other bugs so if we catch some, we'll take them inside and the spiders can clean house," Mika informed her, her smile growing wider.

Beth almost requested that no spiders purposely be brought into cellblock C but she held the words in. The kids were laughing and talking excitedly and having so much fun, Beth would say nothing to ruin that for them.

She kept one eye on them and her other began searching for Daryl. She wanted him to see her wearing the sweater and she wanted to thank him for it. She found him as he stood outside the fences on the small footbridge, crossbow in his hands and keeping watch as Carol knelt down near the creek. The pump had probably been blocked up again.

After their bug search – unsuccessful, Mika was sad to announced – Beth gathered the children to a sunny patch of grass and there, she broke out the math and vocabulary flashcards she had gotten on the run yesterday. Lessons were in the morning followed by Carol's "story time" and then lunch and then Beth's actual story time and then chores for the rest of the day. It was important to Beth that she had the children on some sort of schedules. Schedules were part of the old world and made things feel almost normal.

"Mika, where's your sister?" Beth asked as some of the children practiced their multiplication tables and the younger ones worked on their subtracting double digits.

Mika frowned as if she didn't even want to think about it. "She's in our cell. Refused to get out of bed even though I told her we had to get to our lessons."

"Oh," Beth said, unsure how to proceed. "Is she feeling well?" She then asked.

Mika shrugged. "Do crazy people ever feel well?" She asked in return.

"Don't call your sister crazy, Mika," Beth instinctively lectured her. "She's your sister and now, more than ever, nothing's more important than family."

With her own words, Beth wondered where her sister was. She hadn't spoken with Maggie since the council meeting yesterday evening and she wanted to talk with Maggie on her own and try to explain her relationship with Daryl – though she didn't even know if it was actually a relationship and she had no idea what her and Daryl were actually doing. A few kisses and holding hands had to mean something though, didn't it?

It seemed like she had to talk with Daryl, too, about everything.

After lessons, Carol returned and ushered the children to the library for "story time" and Beth took Judith back inside, heading towards the laundry room to wash the dirty cloth diapers and some of her own undergarments. She then returned outside to hang everything on the clothesline as Judith crawled around in the grass.

It was such a beautiful day. Such a normal day. And Beth smiled to herself, humming.

So when Michonne galloped up to the prison a few minutes later, holding a man's decapitated head by his hair in her fisted fingers, Beth was quick to remind herself that nothing was really normal anymore.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	17. Moment in our Lives

…

 **Chapter Seventeen.** Moment in our Lives.

As soon as Daryl saw Michonne coming and as soon as he saw who's head she had, he met her at the gate, not even letting her inside. Carl had run over to greet Michonne and to see for himself and Daryl handed him the reins to lead the horse back inside. Daryl and Michonne then stepped back past the wood spikes they had set up in front of the main gate.

"Want the honors?" Michonne asked, a grin slowly spreading across her face.

"You don' wanna?" Daryl asked and he couldn't help but by surprised.

Michonne shrugged. "I was the one to get him. It's your turn."

Daryl nodded his head in thanks as he took the head Michonne handed over to him. He adjusted it in the palm of his hand, adjusting to the weight of it. In all of this time with the world like this, he had actually never held a head – not that he was looking to hold one. He then turned the head and shoved it onto one of the wooden spikes and then he and Michonne stared at it – at the slacked mouth, that stupid black patch over his eye, the milky white of his other head. She had decapitated and stabbed him through the temple and Daryl hoped she had tortured him before that.

They heard the gate open behind them and they both turned their heads to see Rick coming. "Carl said you got him," he said.

Michonne nodded. "Followed my gut. Started towards Macon. Found him along the way. Even crazier than when we saw him last."

A couple walkers were rambling their way but none of them were overly concerned. Michonne easily disposed of them with one swing of her katana. The three remained there, staring at the head that had once belonged to the Governor. Daryl hadn't thought much of the man lately even though Michonne mentioned him often – always going out, trying to find him, get rid of him once and for all. Daryl had been so busy with things here at the prison but if he hadn't, he knew he probably would have gone out and helped her look. He still thought about Merle all of the time and what the Governor had done to him and in the back of his mind, Daryl had always thought that death was too good for him.

But he wasn't going to complain. Having his head on a spike was the next best thing.

"So this mean you're gonna stick around from now on?" Rick asked as they turned and headed back towards inside the gates.

Michonne smiled. "Got nothing better to do." She looked to Daryl. "I did find something though. We might want to take the truck out later today."

"What'd you see?" Daryl asked, closing the gate behind them and locking it once more.

"There's a farm about half a day's drive from here. Fenced in backyard and there's chickens. Walkers haven't gotten them yet."

Daryl blinked at her for a moment. "Chickens?"

"Real chickens?" Rick echoed.

Michonne laughed. "Yeah. Might be able to have some eggs tomorrow for dinner," she said.

Daryl didn't even hesitate in nodding. "We'll head out as soon as I tell everyone. We need anyone else?" He asked as they headed up the gravel drive towards the prison.

"You and me should be enough. Unless you want to come to?" She asked to Rick even though they all knew she was probably just wasting her breath.

And Rick didn't prove her wrong. He shook his head, pulling his work gloves from the back pocket of his jeans again.

"Got some cucumbers I gotta pick today," he said and Michonne nodded, not arguing.

They all still tried from time to time but Daryl was pretty sure that Rick – the old Rick – would probably never come back. He had hung up his gun and his hat and was now sticking to just being a farmer. And if that's what he wanted to do, what he _had_ to do, Daryl wouldn't push him into something more. Daryl wished he would step up again and help him run this place because most days, Daryl knew he didn't do half a good job as Rick would do but with Hershel and the other council people helping him out – and now, with the Governor dead and gone – Daryl knew that this prison had a real shot of staying their home for a while.

Carl ran over then to grill Michonne about if that was really the Governor's head on the spike outside the gate and then he wanted to know every detail about how she got him and Daryl's eyes scanned the prison yard. It was a habit now. Even before she had kissed him for the first time, it seemed as if his eyes had always been looking for her. He used to tell himself that he was just looking and making sure that lil' Asskicker was alright but of course she would be if she was with Beth.

Now, Daryl could admit that his eyes were looking for Beth, to make sure that _she_ was alright, though there would be no reason she wouldn't be. Beth could handle herself.

He didn't see her though but he didn't worry. She was probably inside. Doing laundry or in the library or maybe lying Judith down for her nap or maybe she was talking to Lizzie already. Lizzie. When they got rid of one problem, they had ten more waiting to be dealt with and if what Carl said was true about her, Lizzie could be a big problem.

What the hell could they do for a crazy girl? None of them were shrinks and they didn't have that kind of medicine. Were they just going to lock her in a cell all day? And if she really was a threat to this prison and everyone here, would he be able to just toss a girl her age out on her ass and tell her to live with the walkers if she wanted them so damn bad?

Daryl sighed heavily and after telling Michonne he was going to go inside and get his stuff together for the run, he headed inside cellblock C. As soon as he stepped through the door, he could hear Beth's quiet voice, singing a song, and he instantly felt relieved to hear it. Not that he thought anything had happened to her but looking for her and not seeing her outside hadn't settled on his chest well. He supposed he always wanted to know where she was. He supposed he was still her bodyguard in a way.

He stopped at her cell to see her kneeling on the floor, changing Judith's diaper, singing to her, but when his shadow fell across her, she quickly lifted her head. The smile she gave him the instant she saw him was like the sun coming out for the first time after a long winter. He didn't smile back but he just kept staring at her and Beth finished wiping Judith and pinning a fresh cloth diaper on her before hefting her up in her arms and getting back to her feet.

He noticed immediately that she was wearing the purple sweater – the one he had gotten for her specifically from the store and then had snuck into her cell early this morning when she was still asleep and set it on her bed so she wouldn't miss it. She had made a list of things to get for everyone else but nothing for her and Daryl hadn't liked that. She should get something for herself, too – even if she thought she didn't need anything. Girl who did as much as she did for everyone here, she deserved to have something.

He hadn't been sure of the size and the one he got her was too big and as she stood, he saw it slip from her shoulder, showing off her pale soft skin. His hand itched to reach out and touch it and he supposed he could. He had already kissed her plenty of times but he stood there, not sure if he should actually touch her or not; not sure if he had the right or deserved to touch her. And in the end, he curled his hands around the strap of his crossbow across his chest and didn't reach out to her shoulder.

"Hi," Beth said and Daryl swore she sounded kind of breathless to his ears.

"Hey," he grunted. "Goin' out on a run with Michonne."

She was clearly surprised at that. "Already another run?"

"Says she saw some chickens. We're gonna go get 'em."

The smile that burst across her face at that nearly knocked him back a step. He had never seen a prettier smile on anyone's face before and he stood there and stared at her smiling like that and he knew that if he could, he'd make sure she smiled like that all of the time. There wasn't much to smile about nowadays but he'd try and find things that would make her happy. He never wanted to piss her off or hurt her again like he had. He never wanted to be invisible to her again and he never wanted her to shrink into herself when he was near. He just wanted this. Beth smiling like the world was good.

"Eggs," she then said in a breath as if daydreaming about just the possibility.

"Hopefully, she wasn' jus' hallucinatin'," Daryl smirked a little at that.

Judith wiggled in Beth's arms and Beth bent down, placing Judith down on the floor. They both watched as the baby immediately began crawling past Daryl, heading out of the cell, Beth following close behind, keeping both eyes on her.

Daryl fell into step alongside her, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Who's head did Michonne bring back with her?" Beth asked suddenly and Daryl was a little bit surprised by the question. He hadn't known Beth had seen that.

"The Governor's. She got 'im," he said and Beth sighed heavily with relief.

"Thank God," she said quietly. "I've been praying…" she trailed off at that. "So what's on your mind now?" She asked, turning her head away from Judith for a second to look up at him. "I can see your mind going a mile a minute over something, Daryl Dixon. What's going on?"

And he knew what he should say. The fences and Lizzie and winter coming and having enough food and clothes to get everyone through it. And those things were on his mind. They were always on his mind but this time, there was something else on his mind, too. Something that seemed to be bigger than all of those other thoughts at the moment.

And he didn't stop himself this time.

He reached over to her and Beth stilled as he took the sweater, pushing it back up over her shoulder, his thumb brushing across the skin as she did. He felt the tips of his ears turn red at the gesture that felt more intimate to him than actually kissing her sometimes felt. Beth suddenly grasped his hand and turned them towards one another.

"You'll be careful out there," she said and she wasn't really asking. She was more like ordering him and she looked up at him with her big blue eyes, still clasping his hand.

Daryl felt his throat grow thick and dry as he stared down to her face. He didn't know if he was able to speak so he gave his head a nod instead. Beth shuffled a step closer to him and his other hand dropped down, finding her narrow hip, coming to a rest there.

He wondered if he should kiss her. He wondered if he should just lean down and go for it but Beth seemed to read his mind in that moment – or maybe she was sharing his thoughts – and she didn't seem to need to think over anything.

She pushed herself up on her toes and pressed her lips to his and Daryl didn't need to think about it anymore. He instantly kissed her back and as their lips slowly moved together, he reminded himself that he didn't have to think about kissing Beth. She wanted him to kiss her and she liked him kissing her and anytime he wanted to kiss her, he could. He still didn't understand it but if Beth Greene wanted dirty Daryl Dixon kissing her, he couldn't exactly refuse her. He already knew there wasn't too much he would be able to refuse when it came to her.

…

Beth was in the library after lunch with the kids, having their story time, when he and Michonne were ready to go and Daryl didn't go to interrupt so he could say goodbye. He figured all of the kissing they had done earlier was good enough for a goodbye and Daryl didn't like saying goodbye and neither didn't she. Goodbye was too final and he would be back by tomorrow afternoon. No reason to act like they'd never see each other again.

Michonne was driving since she knew where to go and Daryl rode in the passenger seat beside her, lighting up a cigarette and watching as Maggie opened the gate for them.

"I miss anything lately?" Michonne asked as she started driving them south.

"Had a Big Spot run. That wen' good. Fences still givin' us problems but Beth gave me an idea and I'm goin' to start workin' on it tomorrow," he answered before taking a drag.

"When I asked, I meant if anything had happened between you and Beth," she said with a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Daryl smirked and shook his head. "Have you always been this damn nosy?" He asked her.

"Walking into the cellblock and seeing you kiss her as if she was helping you breathe doesn't really make me nosy. Just makes me not blind," Michonne teased him.

Daryl felt the tips of his ears turn red as he concentrated on smoking his cigarette. He really had to stop kissing Beth out in the open like that. He wasn't looking to be like Maggie and Glenn when he was with her. Those two made everything between them everyone's business and their open affection for one another had always made Daryl a little uncomfortable. He didn't want people to be looking at him and Beth with the same grins and catcalls and knowing everything they did when they were together.

He hoped Beth didn't want something like that.

Daryl shrugged. "I don't know what we are," he admitted. "I guess I like her. Pretty sure she likes me. Haven' talked much 'bout it past that."

"You should," Michonne advised. "Life's too short nowadays to not have talks like that."

Daryl shrugged again but didn't say anything else. He had never had a conversation like that with another person in his life and he didn't know the first thing about having a conversation like that. How would he even start? What would he say?

Hell, he didn't even know what he wanted with Beth.

Because he was kissing her, was he expected to marry her? To find a ring like Glenn had found Maggie and put it on her finger and be a husband? Share a cell and be as married as anyone could be nowadays?

He found himself frowning. He didn't know if he wanted that. He didn't think he did. He wasn't the marrying type. Never had been and he sure as hell wasn't now. And Beth was just a kid. No, not a kid, but she sure as hell was young. A hell of a lot younger than him and sure, none of their family had tarred and feathered him when they found out about them but that didn't mean that they would be as supportive if Beth and him went and got married. Would he really be some sick-ass pervert then if they went and did that?

He was getting way too ahead of himself and he sighed heavily, exhaling a cloud of smoke. They had just started whatever the hell this was and who knew how long it would last. He wasn't looking to get married and Beth wasn't either – as far as he knew. And if she was, she was a smart girl. She would know that Daryl wouldn't be the one to marry her.

Michonne and Daryl didn't talk as Michonne drove and that's why Michonne was one of his favorite run partners. They only talked if they absolutely had to but for the most part, both seemed perfectly fine with having silence between them.

He didn't know how long the drive took but Michonne seemed right about it being about half a day. As they came upon a small town – the kind with one stop light and if you blinked, you missed the whole damn thing – the sun was dipping down beneath the western horizon and the temperature was dropping with it.

"Haven' been through this place yet," Daryl noted once Michonne stopped in the driveway of a house just past what he assumed was the downtown and he looked around the desolate spot.

He noticed there was a thrift store next to the post office. That might be worth something. It didn't matter that the Big Spot had just been the day before. They always needed or could use something.

"Not much to go through," Michonne said.

The house was a small ranch, built out of brick with a black front door that had faded in the sun and weather. Weeds sprouted through the cracks of the pavement as they headed towards the front door. Daryl had his crossbow in his hands, aimed and ready to be used in a second's notice, and Michonne had her katana drawn, ready in the same way.

He was the one to knock and she was the one to push open the door. It was almost too dark in the house to see anything but their eyes adjusted and they cleared the two walkers out that were coming towards them upon hearing the noise.

"Backyard's this way," she said and he followed her down the hall into the kitchen and where he could see the backdoor.

There were a couple of pictures on the refrigerator and Daryl's eyes caught one of them hanging there, held in place by a magnet shaped like a pear. It had been a young couple – a man with dark hair and a woman with blonde hair and a baby was in her arms. He stared at it for a moment, an itching in the pit of his stomach. If he looked hard enough, he could almost see him and Beth. Sitting on the front porch of this house, smiling happily for the camera, letting someone capture this moment in their lives.

Daryl didn't think about what he was doing or why he was doing something so stupid. But he didn't think it through. He snagged the picture and folded it, pushing into his back pocket.

…

* * *

 **These past two chapters have been slow but I promise - something will happen in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you very much for reading and being patient!**


	18. Story Time

**It means so much to me that this story is loved by so many. Just please remember that I'm working on a few stories at the moment so I write whatever the muse is in the mood for. I promise to try and not make you all wait too long between updates though.**

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…

 **Chapter Eighteen.** Story Time.

Beth couldn't sleep and she had no idea why. She laid in bed for what felt like hours, staring up at the bottom of the bunk above her, listening to Judith breathe as she slept peacefully, able to hear her daddy's snores from his own cell, able to hear crickets chirping outside. It was a peaceful night and there was no reason why she wouldn't be able to fall asleep.

But whatever it was, it kept her wide awake late into the night. She rolled onto her side, facing the wall and curled herself into a small ball as if cold though it was warm that night in the prison cell and she had worn nothing except underwear and a tank top to bed.

She was tempted to get up and grab _The Ice Queen_ and bring it back to bed with her and read it for the third time by flashlight. Maybe that would help lull her to sleep. She told herself that if she didn't get her sleep now, she was going to be completely useless the next day to the kids and to Judith. She had promised them that tomorrow, they could start rehearsing for their _Harry Potter_ play and she didn't want to disappoint them by being too tired to follow through on her word.

Maybe something warm would help her. It used to do the trick when she was younger. After a nightmare, her daddy would fix her a cup of warm milk and it would help calm her mind down and allow her to fall back asleep. Warm milk obviously wasn't an option now but maybe there was something in the pantry that would do the trick.

Mind made up, Beth quietly stood up from the bed, grabbing the pair of pink pajama shorts with the red hearts that had been given to her after a run months earlier. She tugged those on as well as a pair of socks and after making sure that Judith was sleeping and would remain doing so, Beth left the cell, scooping her hair up into a ponytail as she walked.

Her thoughts fluttered to Daryl as they were prone to do more and more lately. She wondered if he was in his cell, sleeping, or if he was on night duty in one of the towers. Knowing Daryl, he was probably in one of the towers. While Beth couldn't sleep, Daryl chose _not_ to sleep and she wondered how he was able to survive on getting so little sleep each night. She would have thought that eventually, a body would just collapse from exhaustion but it never seemed to happen to Daryl.

And then, Beth had another thought. One of Daryl sleeping in her bed with her. Nothing happening between them. Just sleeping. Maybe she wouldn't have any problems falling asleep if Daryl was beside her. She wondered if they would ever get to such a point like that with one another. They kissed and she liked him and she was pretty sure that he liked her but she didn't know if Daryl would want anything more than that. She knew she did. She knew she wouldn't mind sharing a bed with him every single night from now on but she couldn't mention that to him. Not until she knew for sure that Daryl wouldn't hate the idea or get too embarrassed or pull away from her. She wished she knew how to read him.

Glenn had gotten a few boxes of hot chocolate packets at the Big Spot and they had been divided up amongst the other cell blocks. They were past expiration and probably didn't have much flavor left but something was better than nothing and Beth really wanted to go to sleep sometime tonight.

She moved quietly so no one back in the block could hear her as she first filled a mug with water and then lit the small hot plate, placing the mug onto the rings to heat it up. She sat at the tables and rested her chin in her hand, wishing she would at least yawn to let herself know that her brain was at least willing to shut up long enough for her to sleep.

She heard a creak of the outer door open and she turned her head, not at all surprised that it was Daryl coming back into the block, his crossbow slung onto his shoulder. He halted in mid-step when he saw her and she gave him a small smile from across the darkened room. But then he changed course and headed towards her and her smile grew a little bigger.

"Hi," she greeted quietly.

"What are you doin' up?" He asked, sitting down beside her, straddling the bench seat so he was facing her.

"Couldn't sleep. Thought making something warm would help," she said as she glanced back to the mug of water. Still not boiling. She looked back to Daryl. "On watch tonight?"

"Every night," he answered with a single head nod.

"There are other people at this prison to take night watch, Daryl," she pointed out to him.

He smirked a little. "You gonna let someone else take care of that baby for a while?"

Beth's brow furrowed. "No…" she answered slowly and then she realized what he was getting at. She rolled her eyes and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Guess we're perfect for each other then. Both too stubborn for our own good."

The water was starting to bubble but she left it on the hotplate for another moment. She looked back to Daryl to find that he was staring, rather intently, at her.

"What?" She asked, wondering if she had something on her face though she knew she didn't. She hadn't eaten anything since dinner hours earlier.

He shook his head but his eyes never left her and he still wasn't saying anything. Sometimes, when she felt nervous, Beth would laugh because she didn't know what else to do and she almost started to laugh now even though she had no reason to ever be nervous when around Daryl. If she felt anything when she was with him, it was safe.

The water was boiling enough now and she carefully lifted it from the hotplate, setting it down on the table. She took the packet of hot chocolate, shaking it a few times, pinched between her thumb and index finger, and she then ripped it open, dumping it into the water. She stirred it in with a plastic spoon and then lifting the mug and holding it between both hands, she blew on it for a moment before taking a sip.

"Good?" Daryl asked, still watching every move she made.

She nodded and gave a small smile. "I miss Starbucks," she then said.

He smirked at that and she laughed a little, making sure she kept quiet so not to disturb any of the others lucky enough to be sleeping that night.

"Here," she held the mug out for him to take and he did after a moment. He took a small sip and then handed it back to her. "Good?" She asked him in return.

"'s a'right. Never had it before," he shrugged.

Beth's eyes widened at that. "You've never had hot chocolate before? Well, now I'm sorry for having you try this because this is _not_ hot chocolate."

He smirked a little at that and shrugged again. "Wasn' bad."

Beth almost told him that it was too watery and you could hardly taste the chocolate anymore but instead, she sat there and studied him for a moment. "I have this story in my head about you and me. I've been working on it for a while now," she revealed to him.

Daryl didn't say anything but he lifted an eyebrow at her to let her know he was listening. Beth felt her cheeks blush and she took another sip of the hot chocolate.

"I'd be in college, at some party, maybe for a sorority, and you and your brother would be there. Merle would be doing Merle things, selling stuff to the other people there."

Daryl smirked at that, finding no argument so far with the story she had created in her head. She had been worried for a moment that he would be offended by the image of his older brother she had created. She hadn't known Merle that well, at all, but she had known him enough to know what kind of person he had been – before the end and after and she hadn't thought her thoughts of him hadn't been too far off. Apparently, they hadn't been.

"And you'd be there, too. You wouldn't be helping Merle," Beth made sure she was quick to add, not wanting him to think she thought the same things about him as she did his brother. "You'd be leaning against a wall, drinking a beer, staying away from everyone else. And I would see you there and I would come up to talk to you."

He smirked again and shook his head. "No, you wouldn'," he said. "Girl like you would have had better things to do then even see me there. Would have been with your friends or off with some fella like Zach."

"That's not true," she frowned at him. "I've always noticed you, Daryl, whether you thought I did or not."

Daryl just shook his head, obviously not believing her, smirking still. "Yeah, right."

Beth felt her jaw tighten as she stared at him. She couldn't figure him out. They had kissed more than once, kisses she and he had both initiated between them, almost everyone knew about them by now, he acted like he liked her but he seemed reluctant in thinking that she liked him in return. Why wouldn't he believe she liked him? Beth would have thought it was rather obvious. And was she actually being an idiot in thinking that he liked her like she liked him?

"So then what happens next in your story?" Daryl asked. "You come up to me and talk and I sweep you off your feet? Do we live happily ever after?"

Beth just kept staring at him, hearing the mocking clear in his tone; almost biting. As if he had never had anything more ridiculous than this. He was making fun of her. Of her story. Of the idea that they would have met if none of this happened and the possibility that something still could have happened between them. Of _her_.

She decided not to participate in this conversation anymore. Without another word to him, she picked up her now lukewarm mug of hot chocolate and not looking at him, she left the table and walked back towards her cell. Once inside, she set the mug down on the desk and checked in on Judith, still sleeping the night away peacefully, and she untied the privacy sheet so it fell across the opening of her cell. Hopefully, Daryl would take the hint and just walk on past to his own cell without stopping.

She pulled off her socks and pajama shorts and crawled back into bed. She flopped back with a huff and glared up at the bottom of the bunk above her. She saw a shadow fall across the sheet from the other side and she knew it was him. She watched as he stood there for a few passing moments and she watched his shadow, wondering what he would do; wondering what _she_ would do if he actually tried to come in right now.

But thankfully, after another moment, Daryl cleared his throat and then turned, walking away. And once he was gone, Beth exhaled a soft breath she hadn't realized she was holding, thankfully that he had been smart for once.

She crossed her arms over her chest as she laid there and she knew there was no way she would be able to find sleep anytime soon now. She'd be lucky if she even got a couple of hours this night before having to get up and start the new day. Now, nothing but thoughts of Daryl clouded her mind.

Did she overreact? No, she didn't think she did. She had heard it in his tone. He hadn't been teasing her good-naturedly. She maybe have still been learning almost everything about him but there hadn't been a mistake in his tone. She had wanted to tell him about her story and how it would end with her taking him to Starbucks where she would get him the biggest cup of hot chocolate so he could taste what it was actually supposed to taste like.

But he hadn't let her finish before he was making fun of the whole thing and Beth couldn't help but wonder why Daryl had even kissed her in the first place if he didn't think seem to think that highly of her. She could kill walkers and watch his back as she had proved to him but even after all of that, she was just some silly little girl in his eyes.

Why had he kissed her?

And Beth answered her own question and when the words formed in her head, they made her roll onto her side and pull herself into a ball again, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself to go to sleep.

Why had Daryl kissed her? Lack of options.

…

Beth fell asleep sometime after dawn and woke up a hour or two later. She couldn't be sure of the time but she knew she hadn't at all gotten enough sleep. Hopefully, she wouldn't have the same problem tonight.

She lifted an awake Judith in her arms and gathering her things, Beth left the cell to head to the bathroom to get them both washed and ready for the day. Sometime before she had fallen asleep, she had come to a decision. She was going to pretend that last night never happened. She was going to pretend that so much with Daryl had never happened. They were friends. They were part of the same family. And that was that. She was not going to put herself out there anymore. If he wanted something with her, he'd have to tell her and convince her that that's what he really wanted because right now, she highly doubted it.

She exhaled a breath as she stood under the running water of the shower, keeping an eye on Judith as she sat on her blanket a few feet away. Even though it had been her decision, she didn't really like it. Maybe she should still forget about last night but then just move on – with him – and just not let it bother her. So he had made fun of her. So what? She was sure Glenn made fun of Maggie.

Beth almost snorted at that. If Glenn had made fun of Maggie the way that Daryl had last night, Maggie would kick Glenn between the legs.

After finishing her shower, she wrapped herself up in her towel and picking Judith up, she walked back to their cell to get herself dried off and dressed.

She came to a sudden halt though in the doorway when she saw Daryl sitting on her bed, arms on his knees, head bowed forward. But when he heard her arrival, his head jerked up and he stared at her. Beth stood still for a moment but then she remembered herself. She stepped into the cell and set Judith down in her pen before closing the sheet over the door to give them some privacy.

"'m sorry 'bout last night," Daryl said.

"It's fine, Daryl," Beth shrugged, moving forward with her plan of forgetting the whole thing. "It was just a stupid story."

"No, it wasn't and it ain't fine either," Daryl said. "It was a real nice story but 's jus' hard for me to believe, 's all."

"What's hard to believe?" She asked, tightening the towel around herself and she wondered if he even noticed she was just wearing a towel because if he did, his whole face would have been as red as one of Rick's and daddy's tomatoes right now.

Daryl shrugged and his eyes fell away from her, landing on something on the wall though she doubted he was actually looking at anything.

"That you're with me. That you're actually havin' anythin' to do with me," he said.

"Daryl…" she said his name softly as if testing it for the first time. "I'm with you," she said in a soft yet firm voice.

Daryl's eyes cut to her immediately and he stared at her, his eyes burning into hers, but Beth didn't move or say anything else. She just kept staring at him in return and wondered what he would do next. She had thrown every ball into his court now and it was his move. Was she just the only option to him here or was it possible for her to be something more to him? Beth hated that the answer was so unclear to her.

He visibly swallowed and he nodded. "I'm with you, too," he said in a low quiet voice.

Suddenly, Beth didn't want to talk anymore. She didn't want to do anything right then except kiss him so that was what she did. She went to him and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard on the mouth. Daryl's mouth was instantly slanted against hers and his hands were framing her head, holding her to him as he kissed her in return and she moaned softly as his tongue plundered her mouth.

In the back of her mind, Beth heard a soft whish of fabric and then she felt cool air against her skin and Daryl's clothes against the front of her body. Her towel had just fallen to the floor. It must have come loose and fallen from her body and she was now completely naked as she was pressed against Daryl's body.

And she knew that Daryl must have noticed her nudeness, too, because he went completely still, his hands still on her face, his mouth still over hers, but he was no longer kissing her, and Beth could only hope that no one tried to come into her cell right now.

…

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


	19. Hard Labor

**I can't thank you all enough for all of the support you have been giving this story.**

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…

 **Chapter Nineteen.** Hard Labor.

For a moment, Beth felt as if she wasn't able to move but then her brain kicked into gear again. She tilted her head back and looked up at Daryl. His hands were still on her face but his eyes were closed and he seemed to be keeping them squeezed shut. Beth quickly took a step back and his hands fell to his sides as she crouched down, gathering the towel as quickly as she could and wrapped it around herself again.

"Okay," she said and as soon as she said that, Daryl snapped his eyes open and looked at her. She felt her entire face inflamed in a blush and she could see his own blush developing. She gave him a small embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that," she said.

Daryl shrugged. "No reason to apologize," he mumbled and he looked at her for another moment and she nearly shivered when she followed his eyes dip down to her face to the rest of her body. She wondered what he was thinking though she supposed it was obvious.

She looked at him in return and wondered if – _when_ – they would reach that point with one another where they could be naked in front of one another. She wasn't a virgin but she wasn't some experienced expert on the act. She and Zach had had a few quick fumbling times together. The world was too unsure now and life was too short and Beth had wanted to experience sex because she didn't know what tomorrow would bring. She didn't suspect Daryl to be some sex expert either. He had probably had sex a few times but even with his age, she couldn't imagine him doing it that many times. Contact from most people seemed to make him too uncomfortable. But Beth watched him as he looked at her and she couldn't imagine anything between them being awkward or uncomfortable.

Her feelings for Daryl were already ten times stronger than they ever had been for Zach or any other boy before that. She almost smiled at the thought of ever referring to Daryl as a boy. He was a complete man and she hoped he looked at her as a woman through his eyes.

"I should get goin'," he said then, clearing his throat, his eyes moving away from hers, going back to studying her wall.

Beth nodded. "I should probably get dressed," she said with a faint smile in her tone.

Daryl nodded and she stepped aside, clutching the towel tightly around herself, as Daryl took steps past her towards the sheet. He stopped and turned to look at her. "I'll see you later?" He then asked, as if making sure that it was okay if he came to see her later.

She smiled at him. "You know where to find me."

Daryl nodded and didn't say anything else. He leaned forward then, surprising her for a moment, but she quickly recovered when he leaned in and gave her a parting peck on her lips and then he was gone, slipping out from the sheet, it falling back into place behind him.

Beth stood there for a moment longer, feeling her lips tingling from that last kiss, and she then looked down to Judith in her pen, the baby sitting up, sucking on her pacifier, and Beth couldn't stop the soft giggle that escaped from her throat.

"It's going to be a good day, Juju," Beth told the baby and then, as if the baby understood perfectly, she smiled up at her from behind her pacifier and it only made Beth smile wider.

…

The prison was busier than usual. Daryl had spoken with the council and they had all been in agreement and had recruited every man and woman in the prison who could be spared from their usual jobs. It wasn't easy work and Daryl wasn't going to tell himself or any of them that it would be but there was enough of them so hopefully, it would be quick work.

They first started digging the pits in the ground in front of the gates located in the front of the prison where the most walkers always seemed to gather. Half dug and the other half killed the walkers eager to get to them. Between all of them, they were able to dig three deep holes by lunchtime and when Daryl called for a break, everyone sighed with relief, tired, dirty and sweaty and more than ready for some food in their stomachs.

Daryl was the last one in through the gate and as everyone headed up the hill, he stayed behind, standing at the fence, watching the walkers ramble and gather again. The pits already seemed to be working as some stupidly fell right into them. He allowed himself a small smile as he watched. Why the hell had it taken him so long to think of this?

"Hey."

He turned away from the fence and Beth stood there with Judith in one arm, resting on her hip, and in her other hand, she was holding up a plastic cup of water towards him.

"Thanks," he took it gratefully and chugged down a greedy gulp. "Workin' already," he said, turning his eyes back to the fence, and Beth came to stand beside him. He wondered how bad he smelled to her because standing next to him, Daryl could smell her sweet flower scent and he felt the strongest urge to just turn his head and bury his face in her neck.

Together, they watched as one walker fell into one of the pits.

"I can help this afternoon," Beth offered.

"Nah," Daryl shook his head. "You're doin' somethin' too important to pull you away from. I got enough people."

"If you're sure…" she trailed off then and Daryl turned his head to look at her.

He still couldn't really wrap his head around just how pretty this girl was. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that day, a braid in the front, twisted and pulled back, too, and she wore her jeans and cowboy boots and a black light-weight sweater that was too big on her. Her blue eyes sparkled up at him and she gave him a small smile. He remembered her words from this morning. _I'm with you_. And he remembered his words in return. He was with her, too. He was definitely with her. He didn't want to be anywhere else.

"We'll keep diggin' today. Finish up tomorrow. And then we'll start on cutting the walkers up and stickin' 'em to the fences," he said and he tried to focus on her eyes rather than how she had felt that morning against his body, her skin bare and warm and slick against him.

He hadn't seen a single inch of her naked body but that didn't mean that he hadn't been thinking about it all damn morning. He also thought about the next chance he would get to see it; _if_ he would ever get a chance to see it. He wondered when the hell they had reached this point with one another where he was thinking about having sex with Beth Greene.

He had had sex a few times. Merle had made damn sure of that, pushing girls towards him and not leaving until he made sure that his baby brother would do the deed, but there hadn't been a single time that Daryl had enjoyed it. He always made sure he finished as quickly as possible, never looking them in the eye, hardly even touching them and flinching every time they touched him.

With Beth though, Daryl couldn't imagine it being like that. He could imagine her fingers light on his skin, her lips soft against his, her breaths tickling his ears and he could imagine himself never wanting it to end.

"Come on," Beth broke through his thoughts. "You need to eat something."

He gave a nod and didn't argue. They both turned away from the fences and began heading up the hill. He finished his water and then handed the cup to her as he then took Judith into his arms, the baby grinning at him, showing off the couple of new teeth she had. He smiled, too, and from the corner of his eye, he could see Beth smiling, watching both of them.

Lunch that day was canned chili and stale saltine crackers but it was a good, filling lunch and Daryl sat with Beth, eating two bowls himself and making sure Beth ate at least one. He remembered Hershel's words about Beth always being a skinny, little thing but Daryl was going to make sure she ate her share. Rick joined them halfway through and sat at the table across from them with his own bowl of chili.

"It's working," he stated.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. I figured we'd dig at least six more," he said and was silently relieved when Rick nodded in agreement. He hadn't been sure how many holes they would need but nine seemed to be a good number to start with and he was glad that Rick agreed with him.

"How's the play going?" Rick asked, turning his eyes to Beth.

"First rehearsal is today after lunch," Beth smiled. "And it will probably be a disaster."

Rick chuckled. "Kids being divas already?"

"They're not happy that I'm having Luke be Hagrid but the boy can do Hagrid's voice perfectly and he really wants to play him," she said. At Daryl and Rick's blank stares, she laughed. "Hagrid's a giant and Luke clearly isn't. They don't agree with my casting choices."

"Buncha brats," Daryl grumbled and Beth knocked her leg against his. "They are," he frowned as he dug out another spoonful of chili from his bowl. "Not like you gotta put together any play for 'em. If they're givin' you problems, send 'em to me and I'll have 'em dig instead," he said.

He expected Beth to keep frowning and argue that but instead, she nodded and took another cracker to nibble on from the sleeve between them that they were sharing. He noticed that she was eating more crackers than chili but she had finished her bowl and he supposed that was good enough.

After lunch, Daryl watched Beth start to help cleaning up and she gave him a smile, which he returned with a small one of his own, before heading down the hill back to the fences. The groups had switched off so those digging that morning were now on walker duty and those who had been on walker duty were now digging but Daryl kept himself digging.

"Daryl," Glenn said from beside him in the hole and Daryl lifted his head to see what Glenn wanted him to look at. He was confused for a moment when he saw one of the kids walking down the hill towards them. It was a boy, probably around eight or nine, and there was a frown on his face but he still was looking nervous. Daryl remembered his name from a group that had come to the prison a couple of months earlier. Nate.

"'s one of Beth's kids. Let 'im out," he then said to Tyreese, who went to the gate to unlock it and let the boy out. "Come 'ere," Daryl told the boy, who looked nervous to be outside the fences but he was trying not to show that to any of the adults.

"Beth sent me down here. Told me I had to dig," Nate said.

Daryl nodded. "You bein' a brat to her?"

Nate flushed with embarrassment and lowered his eyes to the ground, nodding.

"Get in here then," Daryl said and the boy didn't protest as he got down and dropped himself down into the hole with them.

By the end of the day, Beth had sent three more kids their way. Two more boys and Lizzie – which didn't surprise Daryl in the least when she came with a scowl on her face. He didn't know what they had done during their play rehearsal for Beth to send them down here but Daryl figured they had been pretty bad for Beth to participate in hard labor punishment.

At the end of the day, when Daryl told them all to break for dinner, the kids were exhausted and all silent as they trudged up the hill with the others.

"I don't think they'll be pissing Beth off tomorrow," Glenn chuckled.

"Kids are gonna be too tired to do much of anythin' for the next few days," Daryl said.

Glenn nodded and waited as Daryl closed the gate and locked it again. "I'm sorry about telling Maggie about you and Beth," he said and Daryl looked at him, honestly kind of surprised that he had almost completely forgotten about Glenn's big mouth.

Daryl shrugged. "You can't keep secrets for shit."

"Still," Glenn continued. "It was a dick thing for me to do."

Daryl was quiet for a moment. "Nah," he then said with a shake of his head. "Ain't no reason to keep it a secret. 's not like me and Beth are doin' anythin' wrong and I wouldn' want to keep it from Hershel like we were."

Glenn looked at him as if he had never quite seen him before and then he smiled at him. "You're good together," he then commented.

Daryl snorted, not quite believing that Glenn believed that, and they began walking up the hill where they could smell the scents of dinner being prepared.

"I mean it. You're a hell of a lot calmer than you were just a couple weeks ago," Glenn said.

Daryl didn't know if he believed that or not – he still had a hell of a lot on his mind – but he didn't argue it because maybe it was the truth and he just hadn't noticed. He wondered if Beth had changed any since being with him. Girl had always been tough and able to handle herself. He wondered if more people were able to notice that now. If not, he'd make sure they all knew it.

Carol had been helping with the walkers that afternoon but she had left early to start dinner and she now stood at the grill, cooking up some rabbits the Rick had managed to catch in the snares they had set up in the woods. She noticed Daryl's eyes looking around.

"She's still in the library," Carol said with a knowing smile and Daryl nodded his head towards her before heading inside.

The prison inside was quiet. Most everyone was either in the bathrooms, getting themselves cleaned up, or they were outside, ready to eat. Daryl found Beth where Carol said she would be. She was on the floor, picking up the copies of _Harry Potter_ that she had gotten at the Big Spot and that the kids had been using that afternoon. He couldn't help but frown when he watched for a moment and then went to crouch down and help her.

"Kids couldn' pick up their own damn books?" He grumbled.

Beth smiled faintly and he noticed she had faint bags under her eyes, showing how tired she was. It was probably from the night before. He knew she had barely gotten any sleep.

"Trust me. I wanted them out of here as soon as it was dinnertime."

"You could have sent down more to dig," he said, still frowning.

"They're just excited. It's something good to see," she said, sitting back on her knees. "It's not like there's much to be excited about nowadays." Daryl hummed with agreement and was taken aback for a moment when Beth suddenly leaned in and kissed him. Before he could react, she was already pulling her lips away. "It's not like they can all do that," she then said with a sparkle in her eyes and Daryl stared at her for a moment before slipping his hand to the back of her head and pulling her in for another kiss.

"You're warm," he noted once they pulled apart once again so they could both breathe.

"I'm alright," she smiled at him but Daryl's brow furrowed as he took in her slightly flushed face. His hand went to her forehead. "Daryl, I'm fine," she said.

He shook his head. "Nah, Beth. You're really warm."

"It's warm in here," she pointed out to him.

He didn't listen to her. "I'm gonna go get your dad," he said, getting to his feet.

"Daryl, don't be silly," Beth said and began to stand as well but he saw her legs wobbling beneath her and he quickly reached out, grabbing hold of her arms to steady her. "My legs are asleep," she explained. "And I'm fine."

He felt his heart beginning to drum in his chest. She wasn't fine. This was more than a warm room or the flush she sometimes got when she was around him. She was warm in a way that reminded him of the people who had been sick earlier that year. And who had _died_.

"Daryl, I'm fine," she repeated herself, her hands clutching his biceps.

"If you're fine, you won't mind me gettin' your pops so he can look you over," he said.

"It's probably just the chili. It was expired and maybe it didn't rest well with me."

"So, you ain't feelin' fine?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

She sighed. "My stomach's been flopping around all afternoon but other than that, I'm fine," she said the last two words in a firm tone, her hands giving his arms a squeeze.

Daryl lifted his hand to her forehead again. This girl had a fever and from the feel of it, it was a pretty high one already. "No, Beth," he shook his head and he felt bile rising in his own throat at just the thought. "You ain't fine."

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading!**


	20. Sick Leave

**I have a Beth/Daryl hunting trip planned in the next chapter. I hope everyone has a good weekend!**

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…

 **Chapter Twenty.** Sick Leave.

"What does she need?" Daryl asked the second Hershel, followed by Maggie, stepped out of Beth's cell. The rest of the family was waiting just as anxiously for word of what was wrong.

Daryl hadn't listened to Beth and had gone off to find her dad and Beth had done her best to stop him, following him and tugging on his hand and insisting to him that she was just fine. Of course, he didn't really believe her when she stopped and threw up all over the floor. After that, he swung her up in his arms and carried her to the cell block while telling a man he passed on the way that there was a mess that had to be cleaned up.

He had then run into Sasha who took one look at Beth in his arms, looking pale and clammy while still insisting to Daryl that she was fine, and she went off to find Hershel immediately.

Word had spread and as Hershel examined her, the family gathered in the cell block, waiting, all trying to not jump to conclusions and not think of the worst possible outcome. They wondered if the virus was coming back for a second round and Daryl tried to remember if they had enough antibiotics from the last run to the veterinarian college. He didn't think so. They had used up pretty much everything the last go around. If Beth was sick like that, what the hell were they going to do? What the hell would _he_ do?

If this had happened before and she died, he would have been upset. Of course he would be. Beth was a part of his family and this group had been through too much to just start dropping off to a fucking cold. But now, everything had changed with Beth, and Daryl couldn't even imagine what he would do with himself if anything happened to her.

"Rest and a lot of it and plenty of fluids, too," Hershel answered, looking relieved as he informed them all of it. "It's not the virus," he then said, and all of them seemed to let out one collective sigh of relief. "Seems she just picked up a bug. Probably from something she ate or maybe one of the kids is sick and they don't know it yet."

"She was sayin' the chili from lunch wasn' sittin' right with her," Daryl said and even though Hershel had just assured them all that Beth just had a bug and nothing more than that – that he could tell – Daryl still felt his heart drumming in his chest and he didn't know if he could get it to slow right now no matter what he heard.

Hershel nodded and looked back to his daughter's cell before back to the group. "She needs to rest. Probably going to be throwing up for the next few days so we might want to move her to another cell..." he said, sounding reluctant to do so.

Daryl opened his mouth to protest but it was Rick who spoke up.

"No. She should be here where we can all keep an eye out for her," he said.

"Do we have any broth?" Maggie asked, looking to Carol.

"I'm not sure. I'll go to the kitchen and check. It's not like we have Gatorade to give her," Carol said, looking to Hershel.

"Plenty of water and tea should help more in a couple of days once the vomiting stops," Hershel said.

As if on cue, they heard retching starting to come from Beth's cell and Maggie immediately turned, heading back behind the sheet into the cell.

"Is there any medicine we have that will help?" Glenn asked.

"It's tricky with bugs like this," Hershel answered. "I'm not going to give her anything right now. She'll just throw it up. In a few days, maybe we'll give her some Tylenol if it's not too expired. Unfortunately, she might just have to get through this without anything."

Daryl stood there, listening as Beth began another wave of sickness, and he felt like he was coming out of his skin. So basically, according to Hershel, there wasn't a damn thing any of them could do except wait for Beth to get through it. His face weighed down with a frown. It's not like he didn't trust Hershel – especially when it came to what was best for his daughter – but Daryl stood there, arms crossed over his chest, and felt it was all bullshit. There had to be _something_ more they could do to help her.

"Someone needs to take care of lil' Asskicker," he heard himself speak up. "And the other kids. Someone needs to take over for Beth for the next few days until she's back."

"I got Judith," Carl said, already holding his baby sister in his arms.

"I'll help with the kids," Sasha piped in.

"I will, too," Carol agreed with a nod of her head.

Judith was looking less than pleased, still sucking on her pacifier but her brow furrowed. They all knew this wasn't going to be easy. Judith was used to being with Beth; to having Beth always with her and taking care of her. Carl may have been her brother but Carl had kept his distance from her lately as he went through his bout of being a teenager and Judith wasn't used to him. She knew all of them but she was used to Beth. She wanted Beth.

Maggie came out of the cell then and they all looked at her.

"She's sleeping," she said.

"Good. We should let her sleep," Hershel said. "Come on. We still all have to eat dinner and make sure we take care of ourselves."

As the others began leaving the cellblock, Daryl stayed behind. His arms remained crossed over his chest and he watched as one by one, they all left, heading outside. Hershel was the left to leave and Daryl expected Hershel to tell him to go eat something, too, but Hershel only gave him a knowing look and a small smile before leaving the block and Daryl was alone. He didn't even hesitate in stepping towards Beth's cell.

Like Maggie had said, Beth was asleep, a bucket of vomit next to the bed. Daryl frowned. He left again, heading to the utility closet in this particular block and pulling another bucket out, he brought it back to the cell, placing it down beside the bed as he took the other one.

When he came back from the bathroom after dumping the vomit down the toilet, Beth was still sleeping and he stood there for a moment, watching her, making sure he visibly saw her back rise and fall with each breath she took. He came into the cell then and eased himself down on the floor, his back resting against her bed, and he listened as she slept.

He didn't know what to do. He supposed there wasn't much of anything for him to do right now with her sleeping and he sat there, bringing his knees up, resting his arms on them, and he looked at the different posters and drawings she had hanging on her wall. A lot of them were different artworks done by the kids and he hoped they'd be alright without her for the next few days. Everyone one of them was so damn attached to her and it was like having a substitute in school. As soon as the teacher was gone for the day, the kids acted up. Hopefully, Sasha and Carol could keep them from running too wild.

He looked over his shoulder when he heard Beth move restlessly in bed.

"Daryl," she whispered, still half asleep.

He quickly turned towards her. "I'm 'ere. What do 'ya need?" He asked.

"I'm hot," she said, trying to push the comforter from her body.

Daryl didn't know that much about being sick or taking care of a person when they were sick but the cell was getting cooler as the sun sank further in the sky and he knew that having Beth feel that cold probably wasn't the best thing for her right now.

"You're hot 'cause you got a fever, Beth," he said, pulling the comforter back up to cover her. "Gotta keep you from gettin' too cold."

"No," she whimpered, trying to kick the comforter away but Daryl wasn't letting her.

She stopped struggling only to lean herself over the bed. Daryl quickly held onto the bucket so she could find it and she began throwing up. The scent wafted into his nose and did his stomach no favors but he clenched it and refused to let himself be effected by the smell.

When she was done, she flopped back onto the bed, her eyes closed, sweat on her forehead.

"I'm gonna get you some water," he said, getting to his feet, because he figured she needed it. Plenty of times, he had thrown up from drinking too much and nothing felt better than a big glass of water afterwards. And Hershel did say that Beth would be able to have water.

"No," Beth opened her eyes just enough to see where he was and she took his hand and he could see her body tense slight. "Don't leave me."

Daryl didn't think about it. "I ain't leavin' you," he said and sat down on the floor again, leaning his back against the bed and he watched as Beth seemed to relax again with him there. He made sure she was covered with the comforter and he sat there, able to feel her breath exhaling on the back of his shoulder and he closed his eyes, concentrating on that; concentrating on her still breathing behind him.

…

It wasn't as if Rick didn't know everything that Beth did in the prison but he supposed he hadn't realized just how damn much that girl saw to everything. And as the rest of them went through each day, doing their jobs with Beth's responsibilities now added to it, Rick knew they were all silently wondering how she did it each day without going crazy.

First, there was Judith. He loved his daughter. He knew some didn't think he did but he loved her just as much as he loved Carl. But it was different with Judith. He looked at her and thought of nothing but the past and a list a mile long of regrets he still carried with him. He looked at his daughter and would lose himself to thoughts he tried to go through every day and night without having.

Carl was helping with her. They were all taking turns in caring for her but Judith was in a constant bad mood and they all knew why. They may have been taking fine care of her and doing the things for her that Beth did for every day but his daughter wasn't stupid. His daughter knew what she liked and she liked Beth. The baby didn't understand why she was sleeping in a different cell with a different person or why a different person was holding her and changing her diapers and setting her on their laps as they all ate. She didn't understand it and she didn't like it. Beth was that girl's mama and no one doubted that.

And then there were the other kids. Beth was their teacher, their mother, whatever they needed her to be, that's what Beth was. She held lessons for them every morning and the girl was barely nineteen herself and she oversaw at least nine children every day – teaching them math and history and vocabulary. Even though the world had ended and it wasn't as if she was preparing them for Harvard applications, Beth hadn't wanted any of them to be idiots. Reading and learning were still important.

Sasha was terrible at math, she proclaimed, so she couldn't teach any of them that but history had always been her favorite so she found out that Beth had been teaching them about ancient Egypt at the moment so she tried to pick up where Beth had left off. Carol had been able to carry on with math lessons and Hershel took it upon himself to help with reading and vocabulary but Rick would watch and it was like now that the cat was away, the mice would play and they all knew the kids weren't this wild when Beth was teaching. They couldn't seem to settle down or calm down and none of them knew how Beth was able to handle all of these kids of all different ages on her own without asking for help.

There, of course, was also the _Harry Potter_ play but none of them were willing to take that over for the days Beth would be out and the kids pouted and yelled in protest about it but none of them were looking for that responsibility. They'd rather take fence duty or cleaning out the pits than running a play practice. Those jobs were less frightening.

Not only was Beth a teacher to them, but she was also caregiver to the kids who had lost their parents. She helped tie shoes and made sure teeth were brushed and hands were washed and one of the boys was going through a phase were he didn't want to bathe and they had to make sure that he got washed every couple of days. She helped Carol fix meals and then made sure all of the kids ate. She helped Hershel and Rick sometimes in the garden, pulling weeds and watering crops. She helped with laundry and cleaning and still found energy to smile and sing.

It was baffling to Rick. He had thought jobs were divided pretty even amongst the people at the prison so everyone had a fair share of work but Beth's days were filled with a million different things and Rick had thought that Daryl was the only one to work himself to the bone each and every day.

Daryl, at the moment, wasn't really doing his jobs either – not that anyone could fault him for that. Most of his days – and nights, too – were now spent in Beth's cell. Sitting with her as she slept, making sure she drank plenty of water and when she was able to finally eat, he fed her crackers. They had a couple of cans of chicken broth and Daryl fed those to her, too, and when Maggie and Carol helped Beth walk to the bathroom so she could wash herself off, Daryl cleaned the buckets she had been vomiting into and stripped the sheets off the bed so Sasha could put fresh ones on.

Rick would sometimes hear them at night. Beth was feeling better by now and she was talking softly or laughing and Daryl was talking to her in his usual grunts but Rick could hear the gentleness in his brother's tone.

He had been surprised when Maggie had told all of them about Beth and Daryl but the more he sat there and thought about it, he wasn't sure why he had really been surprised actually. There was something about it that just made sense. A person wouldn't think it did but it did. Daryl needed someone in this world who cared for him. They all cared for him and none of them knew what they would do without him but to actually _care_ for him and love him and give him another purpose in this world besides keeping them all alive. And with Beth, being with Daryl, they were all looking at her as a woman now and no longer a little girl who needed to constantly be protected. In just a short time – Rick wasn't entirely sure how long it had been going on – both Beth and Daryl seemed to have grown up right in front of all of their eyes.

"Daryl," Beth laughed softly. "You're cheating."

"Am not, girl," Daryl replied back. "You jus' suck, is all," he said and she laughed again.

Walking by Beth's cell with curiosity, Rick peeked in, the sheet pulled back to show inside. Beth was sitting up in bed and Daryl was sitting on the floor beside the bed, a checkerboard set up on the space of bed between them, a solar-powered lantern glowing beside them. Daryl was the black pieces and Beth was the red and Rick could see that Daryl had a growing collection of red pieces beside him. Neither of them noticed Rick watching them.

"'sides, how does a person cheat at this game?" Daryl asked as he studied the board. "Ain't like I'm crawlin' into your brain and tellin' you what bad moves to make."

"You're cheating because you told me you're not that good at this before we started playing," Beth pointed out to him and Rick could see the twinkle in Beth's eyes as she looked at Daryl.

Daryl smirked. "I ain't that good. You're just that bad."

Beth picked up one of the few black pieces she had won for herself and playfully flicked it at him and Daryl laughed. He actually laughed.

Rick smiled to himself as he continued on past the cell and headed into his own. Carl was there, kneeling in front of the pen that had been moved in there temporarily and Judith was sucking on her pacifier, looking up at him with a frown on her face. Over the past week, the baby had hardly smiled at all and Rick sighed heavily, sitting himself down on the bed, looking at his two children. _His_ two. He had two children.

"Beth's getting better," Carl said and Rick nodded.

"She might be up on her feet again within a couple of days," Rick replied.

"Thank God," Carl breathed and Rick smiled in agreement. "Maybe though… maybe we could keep Judith," Carl then said, surprising Rick momentarily. "I mean, she's my sister. She shouldn't be scowling at me all the time. I want her to get used to me again."

Rick looked at him for a moment and then to Judith. He nodded his head. "Yeah," he said in a quiet voice. "We'll move Judith in with us and we'll get her used to us again."

Carl then smiled a little, looking back to Judith. "Hopefully, Beth will let us."

…

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 **Thank you very much for reading!  
**


	21. Away We Go

**This story is kind of like _Cornerstone_. There's not that much action or drama. It's just Beth and Daryl, every day, finding one another and building something together. I guess I'm really not one for writing action-packed stories. **

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…

 **Chapter Twenty-One.** Away We Go.

"Does Daryl know you're out here?"

Beth instantly turned away from the fences at the question and saw her sister standing behind her a few feet, an amused smile on her face.

"Please don't tell him," Beth quickly said, not caring if it sounded as if she was pleading because a part of her was definitely pleading.

Daryl was wonderful. She was crazy about him and he had taken such amazing care of her for this past week in which she had been sick. But Daryl was also very annoying and he was slowly – or not so slowly – driving her crazy. He had been sleeping on the floor of her cell – which she loved – so he would be right there if she needed anything during the night but each morning, he felt her forehead and told her that she should stay in bed for "just one more day" until she was completely well again.

Beth loved that he was so concerned about her but no offense to Daryl. She would be taking medical advice from her daddy before him but Hershel seemed to find the whole thing amusing and never told Daryl that she was perfectly fine to walk around without worrying that she was going to collapse and that moving around her was good for her. Daryl was perfectly content on keeping her prisoner within her cell as if this prison was still up and running and he had been the guard assigned to her.

Maggie pursed her lips together to contain her laughter. "He worries about you."

"He hovers. I just need some fresh air."

Beth couldn't help but frown. She _really_ needed to see something other than the walls of her cell or she just might go crazy and no one wanted to see her crazy.

Around her, everyone was moving, doing their jobs as they did every day and not much had seemed to change that much over the past week that she had been bedridden. She noticed that work had been done on the fences – walker arms and legs and heads being bound to the chain-link and in addition to the pits dug, there definitely seemed to be less walkers clawing and trying to get their way in. It reminded Beth that she still had to speak with Lizzie though and see if she really was the one who had been feeding the mice to the walkers. Deep down, a part of Beth already knew the answer, and she knew the conversation had to take place. She wasn't looking forward to it though.

"Are you still mad?" Beth asked, looking back to her sister as Maggie came to stand beside her. "About me and Daryl?"

A faint smile ghosted across Maggie's lips. "I was never really angry," she admitted. "Shocked and a little upset that I didn't see it for myself before Glenn told me. I should have seen. You were never great at keeping secrets anyway."

Beth smiled faintly, almost laughing. She had always been the one to blurt to Shawn and Maggie what they were getting for Christmas or when a surprise party was planned. The Greene's had learned that with certain things, it was best to just keep Beth in the dark.

"And you're my little sister. Of course I was going to overreact," Maggie added.

Beth laughed softly. "You never overreact about anything," she teased and Maggie grinned, elbowing Beth gently in the side.

"Daryl's a good man though," Maggie continued in a softer voice. "And if I had any doubts before, seeing him this past week would have put them all to rest. He's crazy about you. I was watching him when me and daddy came out of your cell to talk to everyone. I've never seen Daryl Dixon pale before."

Beth wasn't too sure what to do or say but she felt a warm bubble expanding in her chest. Not that she wanted to ever scare Daryl but something about hearing Daryl so worried over her made her feel good inside. She liked knowing that maybe, his feelings for her matched the feelings she had for him and that they were possibly on the same page with each other.

"Beth!"

Beth couldn't help but groan as both Greene sisters turned to see Daryl and Rick – Rick looking amused but a dark scowl across Daryl's face.

"What the hell are you doin' out here, girl?" Daryl demanded, coming towards her.

Judith was in Rick's arms and as Rick followed behind Daryl, the baby saw Beth and instantly began stretching her arms out towards her, trying to squirm from Rick's arms. Even though Beth was much better than she had been, they still didn't want to put Judith too close to her, not knowing if the virus was completely gone. The others had much stronger immune systems than the little baby and they didn't want to put Judith at risk.

Beth couldn't wait until she was one hundred percent better again. Her arms missed Judith.

"I needed fresh air, Daryl," Beth couldn't help but frown at him.

"You don't gotta walk down to the fences to get it," Daryl matched her frown, both seemingly unaware that Maggie and Rick were watching them with smiles.

"I'm not a prisoner and I'm feeling better. I can walk where I want to walk," Beth said and then pressed a finger into his chest. "You are not the boss of me, Daryl Dixon."

"I know I ain't and I never said I was but I'm in charge of keepin' everyone here safe and that includes you," he said, practically growling as his temper rose.

Beth Greene could test a man's patience, that was for sure, Daryl was learning.

"What are you going to do? Carry me to bed and tie me there?" She asked.

"Fine," he said and didn't hesitate in sweeping her up into his arms.

"Daryl!" Beth gasped, her arms circling around his neck as the world spun around her for a moment at the sudden and unexpected movement. "Maggie!" She then called for her sister as Daryl turned and began carrying her up the hill.

"Sorry, Bethy!" was all Maggie said, calling after her.

Beth frowned. Betrayed by her own sister. She then looked back to Daryl. "I'm fine, Daryl. You know I'm fine."

"You're still weak," he informed her.

"Because you're not giving me a chance to build back my strength," she retorted.

Daryl didn't say anything to that and Beth didn't say anything else either, remaining stiff in his arms and clenching her jaw. She knew he was just looking out for her and taking care of her but he was being completely ridiculous now. She wasn't an invalid. She had had a stomach bug and now it was gone and he had to stop trying to suffocate her.

In her cell, Daryl gently bent down and placed her down on the bed. He then straightened himself up and looked down at her for a moment.

"I ain't lettin' anythin' happen to you, Beth," he then said in a quiet voice, all irritation from just minutes ago completely gone.

And with his words, Beth felt her own anger instantly evaporate. She sat up slowly and patted the space beside her. Daryl hesitated for just a moment before he turned and sat himself down beside her. Beth gave him a small smile and reached her hand over, sliding it into his, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm fine, Daryl," she said to him in her own soft voice. "I was sick but I'm not anymore and I can't stay cooped up in this bed for the rest of my life. My _very_ long life."

Daryl didn't say anything to that. He just looked at her and she felt his thumb rubbing small circles along the scar – _that_ scar beneath all of her bracelets on her wrist. They never talk about. None of them do. It was something that happened when she had been feeling her lowest, weakest, and no matter what, Beth knew it wouldn't come to that again. But she didn't want to say that to Daryl right now. She hoped that he already knew that about her.

He exhaled a breath. "I'm gonna be goin' huntin' later this afternoon. Will prob'ly be an overnight thing. Animals are further out than what they used to be. I can talk to your pops. See if you can come with me."

Beth felt her stomach instantly begin to flutter at the suggestion. Go hunting with Daryl? Be out there with Daryl – just the two of them – for the night? She wondered if she had ever heard a better suggestion than that in her entire life.

"We don't have to ask daddy," Beth shook her head. "I'm a grown woman and if I want to go hunting with you, I'll go hunting. I've proved to everyone that I can take care of myself."

Daryl nodded his head though she could see that he still looked a little unsure. She gave his hand a squeeze and then leaned in, pressing her lips to his cheek in a prolonged kiss. She felt Daryl lean into her a little and he exhaled another breath as if he had been holding it.

"Will you teach me how to track?" She asked.

He looked at her and it almost looked like he was going to smile but he was still holding himself back. "Even let you hold my crossbow," he said and the promise made her burst into a bright smile and as he saw it across her face, he finally smiled a little, too.

…

A part of her – a large part – had been expecting protests to rise up when it was known that she would be going hunting with Daryl but no one said anything and Beth realized that what she had said to Daryl had been true. She had proved herself to all of them. They knew she could handle herself and look out for Daryl, too, and she felt a pride within herself that she hadn't felt in the longest time. She was no longer looked upon as some sort of useless appendage to the rest of the people at the prison. She was important – just like all of them.

"What are we tracking?" She asked as she held the crossbow in her arms, looking back to Daryl as he stood behind her. She didn't want him to know that she found the weapon ridiculously heavy and her arms nearly shook from it. She was still weak from her illness but she didn't want to give Daryl the impression that she was too weak to handle it.

"You tell me," he said and she nodded, looking down to the ground.

They had been out in the woods for an hour, almost two, walking further away from the prison and almost immediately, Daryl had started her lesson. She couldn't help but feel special. Daryl had never offered to teach this to anyone. He had taught Rick some basics but nothing like this. He didn't even let anyone else hold his crossbow and here she was, the first pupil of Daryl Dixon's hunting school and she wanted to be the best.

She studied the dead leaves scattered around them that had already fallen from the trees as fall began to creep in.

Beth took a deep breath. She could do this. "The pattern's all zig-zag…" She looked at it for another moment. "It's a walker," she then declared with a smile, looking back to Daryl.

He shrugged, scratching his chin. "Maybe it's a drunk," he said and she laughed softly.

"Why do you have me tracking a walker?" She wondered.

"Somethin' easy to start you off on," he explained. "And knowin' where the walkers are is no less important than knowin' where the animals are."

Beth instantly felt like an idiot. _Of course_. She should have known that. It was logical and rather obvious and she needed to think things through before asking questions like that.

Daryl must have been reading her mind because he took a step closer to her. "'sides, you're the one who started trackin' the trail. I didn' point you in this way. You're a natural."

And it was silly of her but it was just what she needed to hear in that moment. She gave him a faint smile and then raised herself on her toes, kissing him lightly on the lips in a thank you. Daryl gave her a small smile and then took the crossbow from her hands. She almost sighed with relief. Her arms were burning something fierce and she shook her hands out.

She certainly couldn't wait to get her strength completely back. Lifting Judith up and down and carrying her practically everywhere had certainly built up her arm muscles and she both needed and wanted it back.

They began walking, keeping with following the trail.

"How come you've never showed anyone how to do this before?" She asked him.

He shrugged and stayed quiet for a moment and she wondered if he would answer. But something she was learning about Daryl, he always answered her. It may have been in his own time but he didn't just outright ignore her. She was really the only one he answered. She would have thought that that person would be Rick but not even he got all of the answers about Daryl that the man probably wanted.

"Was gonna show T. He asked me and I figured it would be good to have someone else who knew how to do this – in case anythin' happened and we all got separated," Daryl answered, his eyes studying the ground and the trees around them. Beth walked beside him, her fingers curled around the hilt of her knife hanging at her hip – always at the ready. "Was gonna start showin' him but then…" he trailed off.

No one ever talked about _that_ day. Even now, with so much time that had passed, Beth still felt a scratching in the back of her throat if she thought about it.

"I still miss them," she heard herself whisper. "I know I'll always miss them."

Daryl didn't say anything to that but she saw his head give the slighted of nods.

"And after that…" he paused a moment, stopping in his steps and Beth immediately stopped beside him. The walker trail veered off to the left but after a moment of studying, Daryl led them to the right and Beth would have that be her next question. "Didn't wan' to show anyone else how to do this. Wanted to keep myself important to everyone and if someone else could do this…" he trailed off and didn't finish that thought.

She didn't need him to finish it though. Beth's brow furrowed and she reached out, putting a hand on his arm. "You're the most important person in that prison, Daryl," she told him, quiet yet her voice firm. "No one will _ever_ be able to replace you."

Daryl looked at her and didn't say anything and she knew that he didn't believe her but his doubt only made her more determined to get him to believe her. Someday, she promised to herself. Someday, she would get Daryl to believe just how important he was to all of them. Not just to her though definitely to her, too.

"What are we tracking now?" She asked her next question.

"Nothin' if you don't talk quieter," he said, glancing at her, smirking a little.

Beth mouthed _sorry_ and then pursed her lips together, not making another sound. She took the opportunity to watch him. The way he walked with complete confidence in his strides, the way his eyes moved sharply, darting around and taking in every single detail of where they were, not missing anything. The way he held the crossbow in his hands, looking relaxed and comfortable but she could see the grip in his fingers and knew that he would be ready to use it at a moment's notice.

His steps slowed and he then crouched down to his haunches. He looked over his shoulder to her and she followed his lead, dropping down beside him. She watched as he lifted his bow, bringing it to his shoulder, taking aim at a bush in front of them. Beth felt her lungs begin to burn and she realized that she was holding her breath but she didn't dare breathe in case she did so too loudly.

She almost gasped when within a second, a rabbit came hopping out from behind the bush and Daryl's finger squeezed the trigger, the bolt sailing through the air and landing right into the rabbit's side. Beth exhaled and her heart was racing.

Daryl stood up and went to collect the animal and his bolt and Beth stood up, watching him.

"So that's why we went right," she murmured more to herself. "How did you know it was there?" She asked as he came to her again.

"I'll show you," he promised. "In the meantime, we still got some more tracks to follow. Wanna hold it?" He asked and held the rabbit out to her and she took it without protest. If they caught a few more, she could already taste the rabbit stew Carol would be able to make. Carol made the absolute best stew with these. "Still got a couple more hours of daylight," Daryl said, looking up towards the sky. "Figured we could hunt for a lil' bit longer and then stop to make camp up. Wanna do that when it's still a little light out."

Beth nodded in agreement though she would never find argument with anything Daryl said. This was his territory – not hers. Whatever he thought they should do, she would follow his lead. She was his obedient student out here.

"Can I ask you something?" She whispered to him as they began walking again.

Daryl smiled at that. "You actually askin' for my permission to talk? That's a first."

She playfully pushed her elbow into his arm and he kept smiling. "Have you ever read Harry Potter?" She asked.

"Wasn' expectin' the question to be that," he murmured and a soft giggle escaped past her lips. "Nah. Never did much readin' before and definitely not now. Why you askin' that?"

"Well… if I ask you for a favor, would you be willing to at least think about it?"

Daryl instantly shook his head. "I ain't bein' in your _Harry Potter_ play, Beth."

"I had never even thought of asking you _that_ ," she said, wanting to laugh again. "Although I think you would be a great Sirius once we got to that book." Daryl just looked at her, having no idea what she was talking about. "No, I wanted to ask you if you could build me something. If we find wood we could use," she said, looking at him expectedly.

He looked at her. "Build you what?" He asked, almost hesitantly as if he was already dreading her possible answers.

"A stage. Just a little one," Beth quickly added. "The kids are so excited for this play and can't wait for rehearsals to start up again and I thought, actually having a stage would help make the play feel even more real for them."

Daryl was quiet for a moment and she was surprised that she was feeling nervous. She told herself that she had no reason to feel nervous. This was _Daryl_. And the worst thing he could say to her was no and so what if he did? So, they wouldn't have a stage. There were far worse things in this world than performing a play without being on a stage.

Daryl grunted. "Fine."

Beth's smile was instantaneous and she knew that they were hunting and tracking and they were far more important to see to at the moment but that didn't stop her. With the dead rabbit still in her hands, she looped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the mouth, the crossbow caught between them and pressing into their chests but she didn't care. And she felt Daryl shift and felt one of his hands come to a rest on her hip.

"Thank you," she whispered to him once their lips had parted, giving him a soft smile.

"Mm-hmm," he said through pursed lips and gave her a head nod.

She kept her smile on her face as she gave him one more kiss and dropped back down to her feet. "I have a copy. Of _Harry Potter_. If you want to read it," she suggested once they began walking again.

"Mm-hmm," he said again and to most, she knew that they would think Daryl was hardly listening to her now but Beth knew. Daryl always listened to her and was always aware of her and she knew that once they got back to the prison tomorrow, he would take her book and read the story for himself.

"I think you'll love it," she continued. "You actually have a lot in common with Harry. Not having the best life but something happens and you find out who you really are and you find a real family…" she trailed off. "Maybe once you read it, you can help me with rehearsals," she suggested.

Daryl looked at her from the corner of his eye. "Don't push your luck, girl," he grumbled and Beth couldn't stop from laughing.

She knew he would help if she really asked him to but she wouldn't do that to him. He had already done so much for her. She had to think of something she could do for him in return.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading!  
**


	22. In a Split Second

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Two.** In a Split Second.

She had fallen asleep, sitting up beside him with her head resting on his shoulder. Around them, the woods were dark except for the flames crackling from their small fire. Beth had helped him set up a perimeter. They had made camp that night up against a creek so they only had three sides to worry up, stringing cans up around them. Still, he took first watch and promised that he would wake Beth when it was her turn. Daryl sat there though and wondered if he really would wake her. It felt nice, sitting there with her head on his shoulder, her body warmth seeping into his. He had asked her no less than five times if she was warm enough or not. She had just gotten better. He didn't need her getting sick again.

They had hunted down four rabbits and she had watched him skin and clean one so they could eat it for dinner, roasting the meat over the fire. In her backpack, she had brought a blanket and she had unfolded it, draping it over both of them because she had wanted him to be warm, too, in the chilly night.

Daryl didn't think it was possible to be cold anytime Beth was around but he didn't tell her that and just let her drape the blanket over his knees.

He listened to the crickets and a hoot of an owl and the quiet rush of the water and the soft steadiness of her breathing and past all of that, he kept himself alert to the shuffles and growls of any approaching walkers. He felt tired but not tired enough to allow himself to get some sleep. Beth sounded so peaceful and despite what she said, she was still recovering and she needed her rest far more than him. Daryl was more than used to passing through nights without sleep. Besides, he wanted to stay awake and keep her safe. Keeping Beth safe was far more important than getting sleep.

He sometimes still didn't get this thing between him and Beth. Not that he was looking to end it. He'd never do that because for the first time in his pretty miserable life, he was happy and it was because of her. They didn't even have to be doing anything. Just being around her was enough for him. Just seeing her smile and hearing her voice and being able to reach out and take her hand if he wanted to was enough.

He just didn't get it.

Had it really started the night when he had come to her cell after Zach died and she asked if he was okay and she hugged him? Or did it happen before then in a some short moment he couldn't even recall? Whenever it had happened, they were both here, both together and Daryl knew better than to question it. Whatever it was, it was something good and he wasn't looking for it to be over anytime soon. Nothing good had ever happened before and then the world had ended and oddly enough, he found a family and a home and a purpose but this with Beth, sometimes, it just made him downright happy – though he wasn't showing that to anyone else. He still grumbled and frowned but the truth was, he was happy, and he wondered if anyone else could see that.

Probably Rick and Hershel. Carol, too. And Beth.

Hell, probably everyone.

But Daryl found himself not really caring. So people knew he was happy? So what? As long as Beth was one of those people. And if she wasn't, he guessed he could always tell her…

And as if she could somehow sense he was thinking about her, Beth began to stir and then slowly, she woke up, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder for a moment like a contented cat and she then sat up, his side feeling immediately cold. She looked at him with tired eyes and even more tired smile.

"You can go back to sleep," he grunted back to her but Beth just shook her head.

"I'm alright. I got enough," she said in a still sleepy voice. "You can take your turn now."

He shook his head. "Nah. I'm still good. You warm enough?"

Beth nodded and yawned even as she pulled the blanket tighter up over her. Her head returned to his shoulder and they sat there, both listening to the quietness of the night surrounding them. He could tell she didn't drift back to sleep. Having spent the past week sleeping on the floor of her cell, Daryl knew what she sounded like as she slept. Her breath would deepen and even out. She sometimes murmured in her sleep. And she always had to make sure her feet were covered while in bed – a superstition she had had since she was a kid and thought a ghost would grab them if they were exposed.

"I like being out here. Just the two of us," she spoke softly.

Daryl nodded, finding no argument with that or a need to verbally agree. He always went hunting alone. It had always given him time to be by himself – still almost always preferring the company of himself no matter how close he had gotten to the others – and being in the woods gave him a chance to forget about everything else for a little bit of time.

But being out there with Beth, he would gladly share this with her – and only her. Something about being out here, just the two of them, that he could get used to.

She slowly began pushing the blanket off of her and he instantly turned his head to look at her. "I have to go to the bathroom," she explained shyly, almost embarrassed, as if no one else ever had to go to the bathroom.

"Got your knife?" He asked.

She gave him a smile. "Always," she said and once she stood up, she showed it to him.

"Pick a tree nearby," he advised and at Beth's face, he smirked. "I ain't gonna listen to you."

"You have the hearing of a dog, Daryl. You hear everything," she pointed out to him and he smirked again, shaking his head.

"Don' go too far," was all he said and watched as Beth turned and walked off further into the trees, the darkness swallowing her.

He tried to tell himself to not be nervous and not remind himself that there really wasn't any reason to be nervous. Beth could take care of herself. She had showed that to all of them; him especially. Beth could go pee behind a tree without him needing to supervise her. But still, when she stepped back into the low light of the fire, safe and sound, Daryl found himself breathing a little easier. She settled back down beside him and she gave him a soft smile as if she had been able to read his mind.

For some reason, he wanted to tell her he liked the way she was wearing her hair. Braided and pinned up around her head but he didn't know how to say that. He had never said anything like that before in his life and he didn't know how to even form the words, the thought was still so foreign to him.

"Are you sure you don't want to get any sleep?" She asked as she arranged the blanket over both of them again.

"I'm a'right. I can go a while without sleep."

"I've noticed." Her smile grew a little and he looked at her, curiously. He could see her cheeks turn a faint pink. "You forget. Most people don't notice me. It gives me the freedom to watch everyone and learn about them."

"People notice you," he muttered a little softly.

Beth just shook her head and didn't say anything, clearly not agreeing with him.

"You know when you were sick and out of commission this past week, none of us knew how the hell to do what you do on a daily basis," Daryl continued. He found himself feeling the need to make sure she knew how important she was. To all of them and not just to him though he found himself hoping that she knew she was important to him. "Dealin' with the kids and lil' Asskicker and not losin' your mind, no one else can do it."

She shrugged and looked a little embarrassed. "We all have jobs to do," she then said what her pops always said. "Taking care of the kids is my job so I'm not going to half-ass it."

His lips twitched at the sound of her cursing and Beth smiled a little, too.

"Do you remember Nick?" She asked, changing the subject so suddenly and unexpectedly, it took him a moment to catch up. And when he did, all he did was nod. Was kind of hard to forget him or what happened. "Did you kill him? I asked Maggie but… no one wanted to tell me," she said.

Daryl felt a dryness take over his throat. It wasn't as if he wanted to lie to Beth but he didn't necessarily want to tell her the truth either. Not about this.

Finally though, he just gave his head a single nod.

"What did he say? About me," she said, her eyes settled heavily on him, concern and curiosity swirling together in her eyes, the flame of the fire dancing in them. Daryl found himself unable to look at anything except them even though he badly wanted to look anywhere else in that moment as he told her this.

He swallowed thickly. "Said he bet you had a pussy as sweet as a Georgia peach and that he would find out for himself. Knew you were in the laundry room by yourself a lot of the time. Thought he could take a taste for himself whether you wanted him to or not."

His eyes were finally able to fall from her, landing in his lap, and Beth was silent beside him.

"Didn't know if he meant it or not. Thought kickin' 'im out would take care of it but the more I thought 'bout it, the more I imagined him rapin' you… even Glenn agreed with me. Can't trust anyone except our family – no matter how long they've been here with us."

Beth was still quiet and he stared at the fire, not feeling brave enough to look at her right now. Would she judge him for killing Nick? Would she be afraid of him now.

He was startled when he suddenly felt Beth's lips on his cheek, near the corner of his mouth. He quickly turned his head towards her and their noses nearly bumped together.

"Thank you," she said in a voice so soft, it was nearly a whisper. "For keeping me safe."

"I'd do anything to keep you safe," he heard himself say.

A small, warm smile melted across her face and she leaned in again then, her hand finding the back of his head, pulling on him gently to meet her, and their lips pressed together. Softly at first. Almost as if both were hesitant to kiss one another; as if this was their first kiss. But then, the pressure slowly began to build. Their lips moved together and her head tilted slightly to the side, Daryl taking her silent invitation to slant his mouth over hers and kiss her deeply. Beth moaned softly as his tongue made contact with hers and she tried to get her body closer to his. Daryl slipped an arm around her waist, turning more towards her, and both of her hands were in his hair now, holding it back from his face.

In the back of his mind, he heard a rustle and quickly pulled his lips from hers, turning his head towards the source of the noise. He heard nothing else though. Probably just an animal. If it was a walker, it wouldn't have just stopped. He took a deep breath and turned his head back towards Beth. She was flushed and she pressed her lips once more to his.

"When we get back, will you still sleep in my cell with me?" She asked.

Daryl wondered what the reaction to that would be. Everyone had seemed fine with it when he had slept on the floor next to her bed these past few nights and everyone was fine with the two of them together but to actually move his meager belongings into her cell and start sharing such a close living space with her, Daryl wondered what everyone would think. He wasn't expecting anyone to be welcoming towards it.

He couldn't imagine going back to his own cell though. He had gotten used to being there with her. In just a week, he had gotten used to be so close to her. To listening to her breathe and the way she whispered "good night" to him each time they laid down. To just knowing that when he woke up, she'd be the first person he saw.

Beth Greene was damn addictive and he couldn't see himself being able to quit her anytime soon. Probably never.

But despite that, Daryl looked at Beth as she looked at him, waiting expectedly. He hesitated, wondering if he could actually tell her that it probably wasn't a good idea though for once, with her and with this, he wanted to just leap in feet first and see what happened.

"Yeah," he said without thinking it through anymore and the smile she gave him in that moment was the only thing he needed.

…

Beth had been expecting people to raise protests when she told them that Daryl would be moving into her cell with her but her family just nodded their heads as if they had been expecting this and had just been waiting for Daryl and Beth to tell them.

She was in her cell, arranging the few things Daryl had brought with him. He was out, patrolling the fences, and she had a few minutes before morning lessons with the kids and Judith was out somewhere with Rick.

That was happening more and more. It seemed like every morning, Rick was at her cell door, telling her that he'd be taking his daughter that day. Of course, Beth wasn't going to argue. Judith was his daughter; not hers – no matter how much it felt like she was. It was good Rick wanted to spend time with Judith but Beth missed her terribly and every morning, Judith frowned as she was carried away, not pleased with this new development. Beth wasn't sure what Rick was going to do. Would Judith start sleeping in his cell from now on and not hers? Would she no longer be caring for the baby? Were they taking her away from her without even talking with her about it?

Beth tried not to worry about it. Of course they weren't taking Judith away. Rick had said it himself. She was Judith's mama and they couldn't just take her away from her.

She shook her head slightly as if clearing her mind of those thoughts. It was supposed to be a happy day. Daryl was living in her cell with her, too. She had been surprised when he had agreed but beyond happy that he did. They hadn't even had sex, yet, and now they would be sharing a bed together and she wondered _when_ that would happen. Having sex with Daryl was no longer a question of if it would happen. It would definitely happen and she wondered if it would happen tonight – their first night sleeping in a bed together. Men and women, of course, could share a bed together without having sex but she felt it – building between her and Daryl. Every kiss was getting harder to end and every time his fingertips brushed against her skin, she shivered as if cold even though her body felt as if it was on fire. She could already just imagine how it would be when he was actually inside of her.

Tonight. She definitely wanted to have sex with Daryl tonight.

Hopefully, he wouldn't find a reason to object.

"Beth!"

The scream came so sudden, Beth jumped in surprise and fright and she hurried from her cell just as Mika and Henry were running in. Seeing the sight of them, she, for some reason, felt her heart stop in her chest in mid-beat.

"It's Lizzie," Mika panted.

"And Daryl!" Henry added and Beth didn't even wait to hear what was happening.

She took off in a run with the kids right on her heels. She saw a crowd gathered down the hill and she ran right for them. The walkers on the side were going crazy, snarling and thrashing at the fence harder than usual. She had no idea what was happening and she told herself not to without cause but she couldn't help herself. She felt fear.

And when she broke through the people and saw Lizzie standing there, holding a knife in her hand with blood dripping from the blade, and Daryl lying on the ground nearby, not moving that much and Carol and Hershel kneeling next to him, Beth knew she had every reason in the world to be afraid.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading**


	23. Options

**This story is going to have 25 chapters. Have a wonderful weekend!**

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…

 **Chapter Twenty-Three.** Options.

Judith was crying in Carl's arms but for once, the baby wasn't Beth's priority. She rushed to Daryl and dropped to her knees beside his head. She saw that his eyes were open and he was frowning at Hershel.

"I said I was fine," he grumbled.

"You've just been stabbed, son," Hershel said, returning his frown with one of his own.

Beth swallowed, forcing herself to find the words and be able to speak. "How is he?" She asked and her voice was trembling. They could hear it, too, because Daryl moved his eyes to look at her and Hershel turned his head to look at her. She didn't care though if they heard her getting upset. Even if Daryl was talking and conscious, she was completely terrified.

"He'll be fine. It seems like she didn't hit any of his organs," Hershel said, going back to frowning at Daryl. "Now stop being so damn difficult. We're going to take you back to your cell and get you cleaned and stitched up."

"Our cell," Beth heard herself say in a soft, distant voice and she reached out, brushing hair back that was hanging in Daryl's eye. He looked up at her closely and didn't say anything.

Daryl wanted to take her hand right then but he didn't with Hershel kneeling right there. Even if he was living with Beth now and the older man knew that the two were together, Daryl felt himself hesitant to be open with his affection around Beth. He didn't want to be that way with her around anyone. A part of him wanted to keep it – just for the two of them.

He turned his head and looked back at Lizzie. Rick was taking slow steps from behind and Glenn was talking to her in a gentle voice, telling her to give him the knife. In just a few seconds, they had subdued her. Rick held her in a firm grasp and Glenn had gotten hold of the knife, handing it to Carol who had left Daryl to go to her adopted daughter.

"He'll be fine," Lizzie was telling all of them. "He'll die and become a walker and you'll see that walkers aren't bad people."

"Shut up, Lizzie!" Mika was the one to snap at her.

"Walkers aren't people, Lizzie," Carol said in a hard tone. "We've talked about this."

"You're all wrong," Lizzie declared.

"No one's dying today, Lizzie," Rick said, still holding her arms. "Let's take you back inside."

Daryl didn't watch them go. He didn't wonder where they would put her. That would be another council meeting. What was said earlier still stood true. She was too young. They couldn't just kick her out but something obviously had to be done. He didn't necessarily liked getting stabbed by some girl.

He turned to look back up at Beth but she was leaning in towards her dad, who had his shirt lifted just enough to inspect the wound. Daryl didn't feel anything but he knew that would change soon enough. His body was just in shock for the moment. He had more than enough experience with pain. It would come.

"Alright. Time to move you, too," Hershel stood up and Beth remained kneeling beside him.

Daryl wanted to tell her that he would be alright but he didn't. He thought it was pretty obvious that he would be. Girl had taken him by surprise – never expecting her to stab him when she had approached him – but she hadn't been able to do any pretty serious damage. He was just glad she hadn't gotten him in the chest by anything important or kidneys. Too short for his neck or his head and she had only been able to get in one before he had fallen and she had been pleased with her work.

Glenn and Michonne were there and together, they hefted Daryl up as gently as they could. He hissed through clenched teeth. There was the pain – shooting through his body like fire balls and he felt like he was going to throw up. They slung his arms around their necks and they began walking him up the hill. He thought he would be able to walk but by the time they reached the doors, his feet were dragging on the ground.

Beth rushed ahead of them and entered the cell first. She pulled the comforter from the bed so he could be laid down flat and Glenn and Michonne, with his help, got Daryl onto the bed. Hershel came in behind them and looked to Glenn and Michonne.

"I'll let you know if we need anything," he said and they left them alone in the cell. Hershel looked to Daryl. "Alright. Let's get your shirt off and get you stitched up."

Daryl looked up at the man, stiffening slightly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Beth standing there. No. He wasn't ready for her to see yet. He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready for her to see all of his scars – maybe one day but it sure as hell wasn't today. Hershel had already seen them. Back at the farm, when he had fallen off that damn horse into the ravine, Hershel had stitched him up and had never said anything about his marred back. But Daryl had always gotten the feeling that perhaps, he and Hershel had more in common than most people would ever expect.

"Beth leaves, too," he grunted out.

"Daryl," Beth said his name and it was barely a whisper. He looked up at her and she was looking at him, giving him a slight shake of her head. "I've already seen them."

That made him frown. When the hell would she have seen them? He was never seen without a shirt around anyone. He even took his showers in the middle of the night when he made sure there would be no one stumbling into the bathroom to maybe catch even a half-asleep glimpse of them. So how the hell did Beth know about his scars?

The farm… he vaguely remembered. She had been in the bedroom when they had first brought him in, floating in and out of consciousness, and she had helped her daddy…

He frowned at the thought. This whole time, Beth had known about them. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. A part of him felt a sudden relief – knowing that he had to build himself up to show them to her for the first time and stutter out some sort of explanation – or lie – about them though he figured they were pretty obvious what they were from. And another part of him just felt angry about it; as if she had somehow tricked him into showing her what he never wanted to show anyone. He knew it was stupid to be angry. No point to it but angry was better than feeling embarrassed.

Without a word, Daryl sat up a little and he began pulling off his shirt. Beth was suddenly helping him and he wanted to protest but then, his side began screaming in pain and once Beth had pulled the shirt from over his head, he all but collapsed onto his back once more.

"Fresh water, some cloths and my bag, Bethy," Hershel told her and Beth instantly rushed from the cell to go collect the things needed. Hershel knelt beside the bed to look at the wound once more. "What are we going to do about her?" He asked.

Daryl stared up at the bottom of the bunk above him. He wondered if Beth would want that pulled out of here. "Don' know," he said. "She's too young to kick out. Can't exactly pack her a bag and wish her good luck on the road."

"She's not right in the mind though," Hershel shook his head. "None of us want a girl around here that will stab any of us at a moment's notice and none of us are equipped to treat her."

Daryl couldn't help the look of surprise on his face as he looked at him. "You wanna kick her out of here?" He never would have thought Hershel would be for something like that.

Hershel looked him straight in the eye to let him know that he wasn't ashamed or doubtful of his answer. "Sometimes, especially nowadays, a person is too far gone."

Daryl didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't as if Hershel was lying. That was for sure. He thought of all the crazy people they had run into since this whole damn world fell apart. But those had been people. Lizzie was just a kid. A kid who had stabbed him.

Beth came back into the cell then, her arms full of all the things that Hershel would need.

"Alright, Beth. Clean that for me and I'll get my needle ready," Hershel said.

Beth nodded, not saying anything as she kneeled down beside the bed. Daryl watched her as she soaked a clean cloth in the pan of water and then gently began cleaning the dirt and blood around the wound. He could feel her hand shaking as she did so and his brow furrowed. Not really caring anymore that her old man was there and could see, he reached his hand out and placed it over her hand, stilling her.

She immediately looked at him.

"I'm fine, Beth," he told her.

She nodded quickly, obviously not really believing him.

"Y'know I've been through worse than this," he said and she nodded again but this time, it was slower and she visibly swallowed.

"I know," she said and he slowly, reluctantly, moved his hand away. This time, when she started cleaning the wound again, her hand didn't shake and that was good enough for him.

He found himself pissed at Lizzie and it wasn't because she had stabbed him. It was because she had scared Beth and Daryl didn't care how old a person was or what their sex was. No one was going to come into their home and scare Beth.

Still, kicking the girl out was never going to sit with him. But something had to be done and it had to be done as soon as possible.

…

They had a bottle of aspirin that wasn't too expired and after Hershel stitched him up and bandaged him again, Beth handed Daryl three tablets and he gratefully swallowed them down. The cell was small but the council members crammed themselves inside. Beth stood up, taking the bloody cloth and the medical bag.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to start her way out, but without thinking, Daryl reached out and snatched her hand, not letting her leave. She looked at him in surprise but he didn't say anything and slowly, a little unsure, she came and sat down on the edge of the bed beside his legs. No one said anything about it.

"What are we going to do?" Glenn asked, leaning against the desk, arms crossed over his chest. "People are freaked out. Not only did the girl stab someone but she stabbed _you_. Most people here think you're pretty damn invincible."

"She surprised me 's all. Wasn' exactly expectin' the girl to come up to me and stab me," Daryl said and his eyes moved to Carol. "Where is she?"

"We locked her in her own cell in the tombs for the time being. Solitary confinement," Carol said and for the first time in a long time, Daryl noted that the woman looked shaken. Not that he could exactly blame her. "I think we should leave her there."

"We're going to let her stay?" Sasha raised an eyebrow at that.

"You want to kick her out?" Glenn asked her in return.

"If she's a threat, then yes," Sasha didn't even blink an eye at what she was saying. "If she's so sure the walkers are people and are her friends, let her go out and find out for herself."

"You're talking about killing her," Carol said.

"You're no stranger to that," Sasha said, point blank, and Carol's face went stone.

"I think we all need to take a day," Hershel interjected, visibly placing himself between the two women. "We'll think it through – good and long – and we'll come back here tomorrow and come to a decision. A _unanimous_ decision. In the meantime, Daryl needs some rest."

"I'm fine," Daryl immediately began to argue but Beth turned her head and set a hard stare on him, her frown deep.

When it was just the two of them in their cell again, Beth let out a breath she must have been holding and he saw her sag as if she had just been deflated like some balloon.

"You a'right?" Daryl asked, watching her.

Her lips twitched as she looked at him. "I should be the one asking you that."

"I'm fine," he said again with his own frown. "No one believes me."

"This place isn't going to fall apart if you stay in bed for one day," she said. "And just like you did for me, I'm going to watch you like a hawk and not let you out of this bed."

"You've been wantin' your revenge," he grumbled.

"Not like this," she said, her voice soft and all brief playfulness leaving her face again.

Daryl looked at her. She looked exhausted and it wasn't even the middle of the day yet. It was strange. He knew the others cared about him but to have someone there, who obviously so deeply cared about him and worried about him, Daryl wasn't too sure how to act about it. He had never had that before. Merle had cared for him in his own way. His own terrible, fucked up way and that was really it. There had never been anyone else in his life.

Before Beth.

Once again, he felt his anger towards Lizzie rising as he looked at Beth.

"Come 'ere," he said without thinking about it.

Beth looked at him, confused for a moment, and he scooted over in the bed so there was more room beside him.

"Come 'ere," he said again.

Beth hesitated for just a moment before she leaned forward and placed the things still in her hands on the desk and she then turned towards him. "Your wound…"

"'s fine," he said and then held his arm out. He had never held anyone before like this but he figured he should just do what felt natural and putting his arm around Beth felt like one of the most natural things in the world to him.

Beth gently settled herself down next to him, lying on her side, careful of his bandaged injury on his other side. Her head came to a rest on his shoulder and his arm came around her and her hand was placed on his chest, over his heart. Girl had just helped clean his blood and stitch him back up and she still smelled so damn sweet.

Daryl couldn't remember the last time he had fallen asleep so easily.

"I love you," he could have sworn he heard Beth whisper to him but he was pretty sure it was just part of his mind slipping into a dream.

…

Beth took a few steady breaths as she approached the cell. She knew she shouldn't be doing this. She was still too upset, too scared and too emotional to talk to this girl, but she couldn't make herself turn around. She had to see Lizzie face to face though she knew that Lizzie wasn't right in the mind at the moment – or maybe she never had been – and she probably didn't even understand what she had done.

Could they really keep her in this cell by herself for the rest of her life? Supervise her at all times? Never let her out on her own and be on her own? But what were their other options? Beth was slightly horrified that a part of herself was in agreement with Sasha.

Rick stood there, on guard, and he watched as Beth came near. He began to walk away but Beth shook her head, silently telling him that she didn't need privacy.

"Beth!" Lizzie exclaimed as Beth came to stand on the other side of the bars. The girl was smiling and Beth was taken aback for a moment at how happy she looked. "Hi! Is there play rehearsal today?"

Beth swallowed the lump in her throat. How had this girl been able to stab Daryl? She had wanted to _kill_ Daryl and purposely turn him into a walker. She and Daryl had just found one another and this girl had wanted to take him away forever. This girl was dangerous. To all of them. What if it hadn't been Daryl? What if it had been Mika or one of the other kids?

"Yes, Lizzie," Beth said and fought to keep her voice steady even as the rest of her shook with a mixture of anger and distress. "There is play rehearsal later but you're not allowed to join us in the play anymore."

Lizzie gasped. "What?" She began shaking her head. "No, Beth. Please. Don't kick me out of the play! I'll memorize my lines faster. I-"

"This isn't about your lines, Lizzie," Beth interrupted her. "You stabbed Daryl. You tried to kill him."

Lizzie kept talking though as if she hadn't heard Beth. "Please don't be mad at me. I'll memorize my lines and I'll stop being mad at Mika for being Hermione instead of me and please, Beth. Please don't be mad at me!"

Tears were glistening in her eyes and the girl was more distressed over the news of not being able to participate in the play anymore than being reminded of what she had done this morning to Daryl.

Beth stared at her as Lizzie kept babbling out apologies and pleading with Beth not to be mad at her and Beth felt her anger fade. How could she be mad at a girl who's mind was gone? Lizzie was living in a completely different world than the rest of them and it would be wasted energy to be mad at a girl who didn't even understand anything anymore.

"Please, Beth." Tears were streaming down Lizzie's face now. "Don't be mad at me."

Beth took a step forward and rested a hand over Lizzie's curled around the bars. "I'm not mad at you, Lizzie" she said in a soft, gentle voice.

And then without another word, she turned and began walking down the hall, heading out of the tombs and back in the direction of Cellblock C. Daryl was still sleeping but he would be awake soon and she had to get him something to eat.

Daryl, right now, was going to be her only priority.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	24. Anchor

**Smut isn't my strong point so this chapter kind of took me forever. I hope it doesn't completely suck. The play will be in the next chapter, which is the last chapter of the story. Thank you so much for everyone's love and support of this one.**

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…

 **Chapter Twenty-Four.** Anchor.

Beth had been awake for a few minutes, finding herself in the position she had found herself in every morning for the past week. She was on her side and Daryl was behind her, also on his side, his body curved around hers, keeping her warm and making her feel safe.

And his hand was on her breast.

Every morning for the past week, she had woken up before him and had felt his hand there, resting there quite comfortably, and Beth felt a tug in her stomach. She wished he was awake to know he was doing this and she knew he was sleeping because there was no way Daryl would ever do this if he was aware of it. He was so shy. He freely kissed her but touching her or doing anything past kissing didn't seem to ever occur to him and she didn't even know if he _wanted_ to do anything more. She didn't mention it in fear of just embarrassing him and never having him look her in the eye again so she did her best to remain patient and hope that he would make a move with her soon.

She welcomed a move so badly.

They had been sharing a bed together for six nights now. On the second day, he refused to stay abed any longer and he was much bigger and stronger than her so it wasn't as if she could force him to stay in bed and make him rest from his wound more. He came back to their cell every night where he took off his boots and laid down in bed, where she usually already was, and she smiled faintly as he seemed to have no problem putting his body against hers or his arm around her. It seemed as if in the darkness, he had no problem being affectionate with her.

It wasn't like before – how it was almost like he was ashamed and wanting to hide it. Everyone knew they were together and oftentimes, his hand brushed against her knuckles or his hand ghosted across her back when they passed one another but that was the most of their affection out on display in the open. In the darkness of their cell, he seemed to move a bit more freely – but not completely; not like Beth wished he would.

She couldn't help herself. She knew he was asleep and she risked waking him up and startling him away. But she couldn't help it. She was horny. She was woman enough to admit that to herself and waking up every morning with Daryl touching her wasn't helping her. She needed a release and she needed Daryl to help her with that need.

Slowly, she pressed backwards so her butt was in his crotch.

And she bit down hard on her bottom lip as she felt his morning erection pressed against her. Just like every other morning, it teased her and made her throb between her thighs and she both hated and loved this man for torturing her like this and having absolutely no idea that that was what he was doing to her.

She couldn't help but press backwards once more, feeling the bulge press against her and her nipples tightened in response. She wanted this man so badly and she wished she knew how to tell him that. If she was woman enough to have sex, she should be woman enough to tell the man behind her that she wanted to have sex with him.

For a moment, Beth thought she had just imagined. She must have because it was something she wanted so badly, her brain had just convinced herself that it was happening.

But no. There it was again. Daryl's hand on her breast had definitely just moved. Squeezed the small mound just enough for Beth to stop breathing. She laid still, wondering if he was still sleeping and perhaps doing such a thing without even realizing it. She had never wished for someone to be awake more than she wished for it now.

Deciding to test him and find out for herself whether he was asleep or not, Beth pressed herself back against him once more and in response, Daryl's hand squeezed her with more pressure, almost making her gasp at how sudden it was. She bit down on her lip to keep from moaning and she felt both her nipples tighten. She turned her head, looking back to him over her shoulder and her eyes fell immediately into his. He was awake and looking at her and she tried to read his expression. His eyes were darker than she had ever seen them before and the way he was staring at her, it made her shiver.

She decided not to say anything and she knew that he wasn't going to say anything either.

She began to roll over on her back and Daryl moved back just enough for her to. On her back, she looked up at him and gave him a small smile. His face didn't even twitch but he leaned down and was the first to initiate the kiss. His lips were soft on hers and she felt herself instantly melt beneath him. Her hands slid up his chest as his hands slid down her body and she lifted one of legs, her inner thigh sliding along his hip. The movement caused him to sink against her and his bulge was pressing right against her. She whimpered and her hips lifted on their own accord, pressing against his.

Daryl's lips slipped from hers and moved down her neck, Beth turning her head to the side to give him better access. Her hands slid down his back, to the edge of the tee-shirt he had worn to bed and she began to push it upwards. She expected him to stiffen or to pull away but his lips only continued to glide along her skin and when he did pull back, it was only far enough for him to tug the shirt off. Beth hardly got a glimpse at his chest before he was back on top of her and his mouth was back on hers. Her lips curved into a smile against his.

"We gotta be quiet," he spoke the first time that morning in a whisper and Beth nodded in agreement and then sat up a little, Daryl moving back, helping her take her own shirt off.

They had all heard Maggie and Glenn going at it some nights. Neither really cared about people hearing – which always was so disgusting to Beth because their dad might have been snoring away in his cell but he wasn't completely deaf and what if he woke up and heard them having sex? Beth would never be able to look any of their family in the eye again if they heard her and Daryl having sex. And Daryl would probably die from embarrassment, too, and would never want to have sex with her again.

But then Daryl's mouth slid down to her chest and she felt his mouth on her breast, his tongue around her nipple, and she had to bite down on her lip so hard, she swore she tasted blood. Was this really happening? Or was she still lying with Daryl's hand on her breast, just imagining him doing these things?

No, this was definitely real. Daryl's warm mouth and wet tongue and her stomach was clenching and she was getting so wet and sore between her thighs.

"Daryl," she whispered and wrapped her fingers around his biceps, trying to pull him back up towards her. "You have to stop."

That made Daryl instantly lift his head and look at her. The instant their eyes met, she knew he had misinterpreted and she gave him a small smile and shook her head.

"No," she felt a giggle bubble in her throat. "I need you to stop or I'm going to moan."

He smirked at that and then gave a head nod as if he understood perfectly. He pulled himself back up and their mouths met again. She swore he felt even harder as he pressed against her and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing their bodies so tightly together, no one would be able to slip a piece of paper between them. She wasn't entirely sure what had set them both off this morning but all she could think was _Thank God_.

She wore cotton pajama shorts to sleep in and she eagerly helped Daryl as his hands fisted around the waistband and pull them down her legs along with her underwear. And just like that, she was naked beneath Daryl Dixon. The first boy she had ever been naked with had been Zach and she remembered being so scared, she was practically trembling. No one had ever seen her naked before and she had been so nervous of Zach looking at her and not liking what he saw. She wasn't scared now, with Daryl, but she was still nervous. She wanted him to find her desirable and beautiful and she was like any other girl. She was in love with this man and she wanted to be the best for him.

But in the early morning light of their cell, she swore his eyes were absolutely black as he moved them slowly up and down her body, taking in every inch of her. She didn't wait for him to say anything. She didn't even know if she wanted him to say anything. She pulled herself so she was sitting up and her hands went to the button of his pants. Daryl always slept in his pants. He had finally stopped the habit of sleeping in his boots, always ready to run at a moment's notice, but he still couldn't stop himself from sleeping in his pants.

Beth laid back down as Daryl stood up from the bed just long enough to pull his pants off. He looked over his shoulder, making sure the privacy curtain was still hanging over the door and then his underwear came down, too. And like he had looked at her, she took a moment to look at him. He didn't give her much time. He was embarrassed, she could tell, and he crawled back onto the bed.

She circled her arms around him as he settled on top of her and their mouths mated again. She already felt sweat dotting the back of her neck but she shivered as if she was cold. She felt his naked body pressed against hers and she decided that they were never going to be wearing clothes to bed again.

She could feel his hard erection against the inside of her thigh and even though he was clearly wanting her as much as she was wanting him, he still kissed her slowly. Thoroughly. As if they didn't have to both be up and start their work for the day in a little bit. As if they had all of the time in the world. And college Beth who meets surly Daryl at a sorority party would have all of the time in the world. And right now, Beth wanted to be that version.

Beth gasped sharply when she suddenly felt Daryl's fingers between her thighs, feeling to see how wet she was. She definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"I don't got any condoms," Daryl whispered to her.

"It's okay," she whispered back though she really wasn't sure how it would be. Nowadays, it wasn't exactly something a person could risk.

He was quiet for a moment. "I can cum on you," he then suggested and his face burned even as he said the words, looking reluctant to say such a thing.

Beth smiled and lifted her hands, placing them on his face, pushing his hair back. "Alright. But we'll have to get condoms soon."

He didn't say anything to that; didn't even nod. He lowered his head again and kissed her. Beth widened her thighs further apart, cradling his hips between them. And then, she felt him beginning to push forward. The tip entered her first and she kept his mouth to hers because if he didn't kiss her right now, she would moan and everyone would hear and that was something that definitely couldn't happen.

Daryl wasn't necessarily long but he was thick and though she wasn't a virgin, it still stung her as he kept pushing it forward, stretching her and filling her up completely. She moaned into his mouth and she tightened her inner muscles around him, feeling his hips come to a stop against hers. He stayed still for a moment and Beth felt him throbbing, embedded inside of her. She closed her eyes and could feel his heavy panting mixed with her own.

She opened her eyes again to find him staring at her and she gave him a small smile, answering his silent question. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him back in for another kiss and as he settled once more over her. He began to move then, his hips pulling back and then thrusting back towards hers, and Beth moaned into his mouth, her fingers beginning to dig into skin, needing something to hold onto.

"Daryl," she whimpered softly against his lips and lifting her legs, she wrapped them around his waist, pulling him into her deeper, making her back bow from the bed.

Daryl kissed her deeply, one of his hands dropping down to her hip, holding onto her as he pumped into her faster. The air was thick and heavy and she felt a sheen layer of sweat begin to form across both of their bodies. She never wanted this to end but already, she could feel it building. Tingles that were beginning to shoot to every single nerve in her body and she tightened herself more around him.

"Beth," Daryl grunted against her lips and he began speeding up, his thrusts fast and with no particular rhythm. She knew he was getting close, too, and she squeezed herself around him to help him along.

They kissed hard, tongues tangling, and she was so, so close. So close.

"I love you," she breathed against him and Daryl slammed into her, a cry nearly escaping her before Daryl could cover her mouth with his.

And then she exploded, her body tensing for a moment before she felt every inch quake and her nails dug into his skin, gushing around him. And it seemed like almost immediately after, he was pulling out of her and she felt the warmth of his release spurt across her stomach. She gasped and bit her lip, keeping herself from moaning out loud, and she looked up at him, seeing him biting his lip to keep his own groan contained.

In the seconds after, they were both panting, their hearts beating through their chests, and Daryl all but collapsed beside her. Beth laid there, trying to breathe again, and she turned her head on the pillow to look at him. She felt like giggling and when he turned his head to look at her in return, she smiled at him.

"You okay?" He asked and she laughed softly this time.

"Never better," she smiled. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Never better," he echoed. He then leaned in and kissed her. "You think anyone heard us?" He then asked.

"We were as quiet as church mice," she assured him.

That only made Daryl smirk though. "Don't think you should mention church after what we've just done." Beth giggled and lifted her hand, brushing hair back from his face, and he leaned in, kissing her again. "Lemme get you somethin' to clean that off with."

Beth watched as Daryl pulled himself from the bed and first, he tugged his underwear back on and then he grabbed one of Judith's clean cloth diapers from the stack on the desk. He came back to the bed and Beth watched as he laid on his side beside her and began cleaning his cum from her stomach.

"'s weird not havin' lil' Asskicker in here with you," he said.

"It's very weird," Beth agreed. "But Rick wanted her last night and it's not like I can't tell Rick that he can't have his daughter sleep in his cell."

"You could tell 'im how you feel though," Daryl suggested.

Beth immediately shook her head though. "Oh, no, I can't do that. Judith is his daughter."

"You're that kid's mama," he pointed out to her.

"Daryl, it's fine," she did her best to smile. "It's good that Rick wants to be close with Judith again. We've all been waiting for that to happen. I just feel a little lost without her."

Daryl didn't say anything to that. Even though she was cleaned off, he was still rubbing the cloth over her stomach and Beth watched him. She lifted a hand again, brushing his hair back and as soon as her fingers left, the hair fell right back into his eye. She smiled faintly.

"You mean what you said or was it the heat of the moment kind of thing?" He asked.

She didn't need him to clarify. "Of course I meant it. I said it you a few days ago…"

"Thought I dreamt that," he muttered softly.

"I'm not expecting you to say it back," she quickly assured him. "I didn't say it just because I wanted you to say it. I don't want you to think that."

"I didn'," he shook his head. "Jus' was wonderin' if you meant it, is all."

Beth just looked up at him and smiled and didn't say anything. She lifted her head from the pillow and fused her lips to his.

She loved him. She knew that she could say it a million times and somehow, she knew those three words would never quite be enough. She had never been in love before. She had liked Jimmy and she had liked Zach but nothing she had had with them could ever compare to what she had with Daryl. What she felt for Daryl, sometimes, it was just so strong and intense, she wasn't quite sure she'd be able to handle it. She didn't know _how_ to handle it.

And though she sometimes felt so completely lost, Beth knew she didn't want to be lost with anyone else except Daryl Dixon.

…

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please review!**


	25. Right by Your Side

…

 **Chapter Twenty-Five.** Right by Your Side.

Daryl had built a stage – just like he promised he would. Nothing big or fancy but the kids couldn't stop climbing all over it and when Beth had seen the final product, she had hugged him so tightly, he had thought she was cutting the air off in his throat and he could no longer breathe and he wondered how a little thing like her could hug him so damn tight.

The night of the _Harry Potter_ play, everyone in the prison came – except those on duty in the towers – and they had gathered as many chairs as they could and once they ran out of those, they sat on the ground, spreading out blankets as if they were seeing a play in the park. They had lined the edge of the stage with solar lanterns so there was enough light for everyone to see.

Daryl didn't sit. He stood off to the side with an unobstructed view of the stage with his arms crossed over his chest and once it began, he watched the kids wearing tablecloths tied around their shoulders as wizard cloaks and the kid who was playing that head guy, Dumbledore or whatever the hell his name was, was wearing a black witch's cap that Glenn had found on one of their runs. Beth was on stage, too, playing multiple parts because there were more parts then kids and when one of kids forgot a line – which happened often – she would lean down and whisper it in their ear.

Daryl looked out over to the people and saw all of them laughing and smiling and they were watching this _Harry Potter_ play as if it was the greatest thing they had ever seen. And maybe it was. This was exactly what they all needed. Kids up on a stage, pretending to be wizards and just being kids and everyone else watching with pride and enjoyment. Daryl watched Beth as her smile made her face seem like it was glowing. He had never seen anything prettier than Beth Greene up on a stage.

He still couldn't quite believe that she was with him; that in this world of nothing but shit and death, he had someone like her; that he knew her from the inside and out. He couldn't quite believe that he had been stupid enough to deny her; to deny himself having her. Actually, he could believe that. He was a pretty stupid person more times than not.

They had all chuckled when Nate – who was playing Ron – informed the crowd that these chess pieces were supposed to be the size of statues as he held up a checker board and they could hear Judith beginning to cry from her place from Rick's lap and Rick wasn't able to calm her down once more. Without missing a beat, Beth stepped from stage and took Judith in her arms, bringing her back up to stage with her, the baby quieting almost immediately.

Daryl tried to watch the play and follow the plot, even though he didn't know what the hell was going on, but he couldn't take his eyes off of Beth.

When the last line was said, and all of the kids gathered on stage again, and everyone got to their feet to give them a roaring applause, Daryl kept watching Beth – the way she smiled and laughed and beamed with pride. The way the kids swarmed her like locusts and pulled her to the center so she could take a bow, too. She was laughing more now and she took a bow, Judith still in her arms, the baby smiling, too. Daryl couldn't take his eyes off of her. And somehow, in the darkness of the yard and the faces of everyone else in the prison, Beth turned her head and her eyes scanned the crowd and she seemed to find him without any problem whatsoever. And when her eyes landed on him, her smile seemed to even grow and Daryl found himself smiling in return.

He heard movement beside him and turned to see Hershel coming towards him, the man's eyes practically twinkling as he came to stand at his side. A few quiet minutes went between them as the kids began jumping down from the stage and the group began moving towards the tables where they were having a late dinner. They had found a box of yellow cake mix that used water instead of milk and with the eggs from the chickens, they were able to make an actual cake with chocolate frosting and the kids weren't the only ones completely ecstatic for dessert that night.

Daryl stood there, watching Beth and Rick talk, Beth slowly handing Judith back to Rick, and whatever Rick said to her, it made her break out into laughter. Daryl figured he would never get tired of looking at Beth when she was happy like this. He had been responsible too many times in upsetting her and he knew he never wanted to be the one again who made that smile disappear from her face.

"She does a father proud," Hershel finally spoke and Daryl let out some sort of grunt, finding no argument with the statement.

Beth was brave and tough and Daryl almost felt bad for the person who misjudged her.

"You love her?" Hershel asked.

Daryl felt the tips of his ears turn red as if he was embarrassed but he knew he should have been expecting Hershel to ask something like that to him. Hershel loved his daughter and he was a good man who would want a good man for his youngest daughter. And Daryl knew that Hershel wasn't against him and Beth being together. The man had had plenty of chances to speak up against them but the man had done nothing but smile. Still, that didn't mean that he still wasn't going to be protective of Beth and make sure that she was with a man who actually wanted something from her more than just keeping his bed warm.

And it wasn't a question Daryl necessarily had to think about; not at all. He wasn't sure when he had developed such feelings for Beth but he knew he didn't feel surprise when he realized that that was what it was. She loved him and he had never loved anything in this world before – except his mama when he was still a little kid and Merle – but that had been changing over the past year. This family and this life they had made for themselves, he loved them as much as a person like him was probably capable of loving.

And amongst all of that, he knew he loved Beth the most.

"Thought you had eyes," Daryl grunted, looking towards Hershel, and the man looked at him for a moment before breaking into a smile.

He clapped a hand on his back and squeezed his shoulder for a moment before he walked away, heading towards Rick and Beth. Daryl watched as Beth and her father hugged tightly and he said something that made her laugh and then her eyes moved towards him and locked with him. He wanted to go to her but at the same time, he wanted her to bask in all of this attention she was getting from everyone. She deserved it.

Beth came to him a few minutes later, practically skipping, and she was beaming. He dropped his arms from across his chest as her arms slipped around his waist. He put his own arms around her shoulders and held her to his chest and she snuggled happily into him, turning her head and resting her ear over his heart.

"Was good," he said.

She laughed softly. "I think our next play needs to be something much smaller. _Harry Potter_ might have been too ambitious for us on our first go around."

Daryl just smirked and didn't comment.

"Beth?"

Both turned their heads to see Mika standing there, holding two plates with a slice of cake on each, still wearing her black tablecloth tied around her shoulders from the play.

"Can I take this piece to Lizzie? Carl offered to take me," she said.

"Of course, Mika," Beth smiled at her. "You don't have to ask me if you can go see your sister. Tell her all about the play. I'm sorry she wasn't able to come and see it."

Mika gave her a small smile and nodded, turning, heading where Carl was waiting for her.

And once she was gone, Beth sighed softly and Daryl gave his arms a squeeze around her. The council had decided they wouldn't turn Lizzie out from the prison but she was basically kept in her cell all of the time unless Carol or someone else was escorting her somewhere. The girl wasn't allowed to be on her own anymore at any time for anything. It was the only thing they could think of to do. The girl obviously had a screw loose in her head and they couldn't do anything to help her but they could try to keep her – and everyone here – safe.

"You're on duty tonight, right?" Beth asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Yeah. Takin' over for Bob in tower four," he said.

"Is our blanket still up there?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye that made him smirk.

"Saw no reason to bring it down," he answered.

Beth stood on her toes then and kissed him lightly on the lips, keeping it short before she was pulling away again. "I'll meet you up there. I'm going to get us some cake first."

Daryl nodded and watched as she turned, walking away towards the tables of food. He turned himself and headed towards the tower, Bob already coming down the stairs. Daryl couldn't help but frown at the sight of the man, not saying anything to him or even acknowledging him with a head nod. Daryl wondered if he would always be pissed at the man. Probably. He knew he couldn't trust Bob and if he couldn't trust a man, Daryl didn't know if he was capable of liking him.

Up in the tower, he pulled his crossbow from off his back and swung it into his hands, surveying the dark landscape but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

It was getting colder and he thought of how their supply of coats and hats were. He was pretty sure they had enough for everyone but they might have to go out and find some more blankets; maybe a couple of space heaters, too, if they were lucky to come across any. And though winter was hard, he was looking forward to it. Walkers moved a lot slower in the cold weather and with their pits dug in the ground and limbs tied to the fences and no one feeding them mice anymore, Daryl didn't worry about the fences nearly as much as he used to.

People on guard duty were usually assigned to the same towers and Daryl's was tower four. He had a blanket rolled up in one corner he sometimes used – usually when Beth came up to keep him company – as well as her worn copy of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ he was attempting to get through though when on duty, he wasn't the sort to just sit and read when he should be keeping watch. And as his bookmark, he had that picture of the blonde-haired woman and the dark-haired man from the chicken house he had taken that one day.

He knew Beth had seen it. She had been flipping through the book and had found the picture and had looked at it for a long moment, studying it. She had looked at him then and had waited for her to ask him about it but she didn't and just placed the picture back in the book without ever mentioning it. And Daryl was glad for it because he still didn't understand, himself, why he had taken that picture in the first place.

Maybe he knew that he and Beth would never have a picture of themselves like that. They were here and then they would be gone and no one would ever know that they were there in the first place. No one would ever know that they had been together and had loved each other and had been happy with each other. Long after they were gone, maybe more people would be at this prison, living their lives and never even knowing their names.

And that didn't matter much to Daryl – no one knowing about him – but for some reason, he wanted people to know that someone like Beth, someone good and kind and the best kind of someone, had existed in the middle of all of this and that someone like him had loved her.

He could always ask Glenn for him to take a picture with his instant camera but he didn't have that much film for it and Daryl wouldn't want him to waste it. There might be something further on down the road that they needed a picture a lot more than of him and Beth.

He heard the creak of the stairs and he turned his head to see Beth coming through the door holding two plates of cake each with a plastic fork.

"Carol made sure she set these aside for us. The cake was going fast," Beth smiled.

She held out the plate and Daryl took it from her with a nod of thanks. She went to the corner and spread the blanket out on the ground and then sat down on it, leaning her back against the wall. Daryl took one more glance out past the fences before he came and settled down next to her. He didn't wait in taking his first forkful of cake into his mouth and Beth licked chocolate icing from her fingers.

"Can't really believe that we've built a life enough for ourselves here where we can eat cake," she commented with a faint smile across her lips.

"We've done a'right," Daryl agreed and she laughed softly because they had done more than alright with all things considering and they knew he was understating. He smirked a little.

They ate their cake in a comfortable silence between them and once they were done, Beth set their plates aside and she settled more comfortably against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Daryl stretched his legs out beside her and tilted his head enough to the side for his cheek to rest on top of her head.

"I spoke with Rick. I told him I wanted Judith in my cell tonight," Beth spoke quietly.

"He agree?"

"Quite eagerly," Beth said, a smile in her tone. "I think Rick and Carl are still getting used to her and still get a bit overwhelmed. And I've told him that I miss not having her as much and Rick said we'll sit down and figure out a sleep schedule for her. He says she misses me a lot, too."

"Lil' Asskicker ain't stupid," Daryl replied. "Only an idiot wouldn' miss you."

He couldn't see her face but he could hear her smiling and she snuggled in closer to him.

They didn't talk much after that. The crossbow rested across Daryl's lap and Beth pulled her head back eventually and pulled out her own book that she had brought with her. She was reading through _The Ice Queen_ for, what had to be, the fifth time. The night was quiet around them but Daryl's eyes were still sharp as always, not missing anything. The few walkers gathered at the fence, rattling it but not posing an immediate threat. The few walkers growling from the pits that would have to be killed and burned tomorrow. He could hear the laughter and talk of the other people as they all ate their dinner and dessert up the hill and he heard Beth humming a soft song beside him.

This was the world now and this was what was normal.

And tonight was a pretty damn good night.

Daryl turned his head and looked at her and after a moment, sensing him stare, Beth turned her head and looked at him in return. She gave him a soft smile and Daryl gave her a little smile in return.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"You," he answered honestly – knowing there was no reason to lie about it. "Usually always thinkin' 'bout you."

Beth smiled at that and leaned into him, tilting her head up and brushing her lips along his.

"Wanna read to me a lil'?" He asked.

Beth nodded and her smile grew a little wider and she turned back to the chapter she had just begun. And as her soft voice rolled over him like gentle waves, he leaned his head against the wall behind him and for the first time when on duty, he closed his eyes and concentrated on just her voice. He knew with Beth, she would keep them both safe.

…

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 **The End.**

 **Thank you so, so much for all of the reads and reviews you gave this story!**


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